Not Goode, Not Bad
by memrylaine
Summary: Cammie graduated from Gallagher 2 years ago. She hasn't seen Zach since then. Now she and Bex are part of an elite group of spies called Stonell. When her team is sent on the hardest mission yet, she has an unexpected meeting with Zach. Full sum inside.
1. You've Been All Over

Full Summary:

Cammie Morgan has graduated from Gallagher Academy and is now a part of the newest branch of government detectives, called the Stonell Spies. She is teamed up with several others, including Bex, Bex's boyfriend, Cammie's guy-friend (NOT boyfriend), and a guy with a HUGELY enormous crush on Cammie. The Chief sends them on their hardest mission yet. Their assignment: revealing the identities of several turncoat spies. When Cammie has an unexpected encounter with Zach, whom she hasn't seen in 2 years, everything changes. Suddenly, things are falling into place differently than what she expected. But is Zach hiding something? And if he is, will this affect their current relationship?

**hey guys! **

**thought i'd try my hand at a Gallagher Girls fic! me and my bffne MEGAN (:D love ya, darlin. review if you're reading this!!!) have been reading MASSIVE AMOUNTS of fanfiction lately, and we thought'd we add something new to the horde. so, here it is!**

**written by me and edited by megan :P**

**Disclaimer: I OWN GALLAGHER GIRLS!! also, my name is Bill Gates, i own a blue unicorn named Farley, and the moon is made of cream cheese.**

**Claimer: I DO, however, own some of the characters in this story, so BACK OFF, CHARACTER JACKERS!!!! THEY'RE MIIIINE!!!!**

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

**Not Goode, Not Bad**

C**H**_A_P**T**_E_R **1**

"It's too late now," the terrorist snarled. "Those plans are being shipped to Russia as we speak. You'll never get them back."

I took in my setting. Small, dark room. Six people; Bex, me, my assailant, and his three men. Nothing distinguishable about anything. Then I spotted it. A nondescript, plain black box in the far corner of the room, almost hidden by the shadows. I looked over at Bex, who was being contained in an Armitage strangle-hold, courtesy of one of the terrorists. She met my gaze and I nodded almost imperceptibly to the box. Her eyes slid over the entire room, finally resting on the box. She looked back at me, grinned, and mouthed "three."

The terrorist narrowed his eyes, watching our unspoken conversation. "Take the dark-haired one away," he said viciously to his men, motioning to Bex.

One of his assistants stepped forward and reached for Bex's arm, but by then it was too late. Bex swung her elbow out, making contact with her assailant's jaw. He cried out and released her. I spun into action as well, launching a well-aimed kick at the head terrorist's neck. It hit perfectly, and he dropped to the ground, groaning in pain.

I used my momentum to spin around and into one the other men coming up behind me. Using my peripheral vision, I saw Bex taking out the other two, so I threw a punch at this one's temple. He went down with a loud _thud_, and I sprang out of his way just in time.

Bex finished up with the others, and dusting her hands off, we both ran to the corner.

I knelt down on the dirty ground and quickly grabbed the box, opened it, and pressed the red button.

_3…2…1…_

_Brrrrrr!_ A buzzer sounded and all the lights came on again, and just like that, the simulation was over. Bex and I stood up and slapped high fives.

"Just gets shorter every time," she crowed triumphantly.

We walked over to where the other guys where and helped them up.

When I offered my hand to Dominic, he just grinned at me.

"Try to go a little easier on us next time, will ya?" He said, laughing and taking my hand and pulling himself up. Dominic was from El Salvador; he had just moved to the States about seven months ago. He and I had hit off really well, and we were good friends now. He had shoulder-length, dark brown hair and tan skin all year round. The lucky butt.

I laughed. "We'll try."

The invisidoors slid open and Raye and Jason walked in, laughing. They had been watching the whole thing on plasmas from the waiting room.

Raye went straight to Bex, slinging a muscular arm over her shoulders and giving her a peck on the lips. "You did great, love," he said, grinning, his British accent thick. Yes, Bex had finally found herself a boyfriend (approved by Macey, Liz, me, _and_ Bex. Not an easy feat). And British no less! Raye was tall and buff, with wavy white-blonde hair cut in a rockstar style. He totally looked the part of an angel-gangsta, but really he was just a big, lovable teddy bear.

Jason walked nonchalantly over to Dominic and I, his hands in his pockets. "Good work, Cammie," he said, trying to sound casual, but it only took one check of his pulse and pupils to tell that he was anything but. "And, Dominic—" He chuckled. "Might want to step it up next time, man."

Dominic nodded sadly. "Don't I know it."

Bex and Raye joined us, and together we walked to the cafeteria.

"Yo, Dominic," Raye said, a grin on his handsome face. "You seriously need to work on the evil laugh, dude."

Dominic cleared his throat, and attempted a wicked cackle, but wound up choking and coughing.

It sounded a little bit like _mua-ha-ha-hack-hack-hack_.

"Take it easy, man," Jason said, patting his back.

"I'm okay," Dominic wheezed.

Bex rolled her eyes and poked him in the gut. "Whatever. And what was that you called me? The _dark-haired one?"_

Dominic threw up his hands. "Any more complaints? Was my shoe untied? Did I have a piece of lint on my shirt?"

We reached the caf and got in line at the salad bar. The cafeteria was a huge chamber with a high ceiling, like most of the rooms in the barracks. Long tables in perfectly straight rows lined the cement walls.

"Mmm." Bex was practically salivating. "Garlic croutons."

Raye planted a kiss on her cheek. "You are quite amusing, my dear."

I rolled my eyes at their antics, and loaded my plate.

We all sat down at one of the stainless steel tables, and had just begun eating, when a crackling voice came over the loudspeaker. "All Stonell Spies report to Debriefing Auditorium immediately."

Dominic stood up slowly, sighing. "Guess that's our cue." The others rose from their seats, too.

I looked down at my plate. "Darn. And the food was so good today."

Bex laughed and poked me with her fork. "Right. Spinach and chicken. A real treat, Cam."

Jason stood up and held his hand out to me. I took it, a little apprehensively. Ever since I'd come to Stonell, Jason had had a humongous crush on me (or so Bex said). He was still a little nervous around me, and after further discussion with Bex, with Macey on speaker phone, we—meaning they—decided he was getting up his nerve to ask me out. Honestly, I liked the guy. I mean he was cute and all, but I didn't really know what I felt for him. Friendship? Probably. The makings of a crush? Almost definitely not. Heck, I hadn't had a crush since I saw Zach two and a half years ago…

But I digress.

We made our way to the Debriefing Auditorium, where we get all our assignments, and took our seats on the metal chairs. Not many people were here yet, we were among the first. Personal scanners on each of the chairs waved over us in painless shock waves, ensuring our identity. The high, dark ceilings of the auditorium loomed over our heads, roof-lasers sweeping the room. The chairs started filling up as more spies made their way in.

Finally, when the room was completely full and every chair was taken, the chief appeared on the large screen at the front of the auditorium, his expressionless, whiskered face plastered across the wall.

"Stonell Spies," he began. "I've got some new missions for each unit. Some more difficult, some less, but each equally important." He paused and cleared his throat ceremonially. "Unit Alpha, your mission information will be transmitted to your leaders. You are dismissed."

One of the groups stood up and left, quietly murmuring excitedly among themselves. They were the newbies, fresh out of either Gallagher. Blackthorne, or some of the other smaller spy schools.

"Unit Bastille," the chief continued. "Your details will be related to you by person. Await it in the Uwe Chamber. Unit Chehalis—"

And so it went on, working up the ladder, each group being more experienced and having been here longer than the last, until the auditorium was just about empty. All that was left was us; Bex, Raye, Jason, Dominic, and I.

"Unit Revolution," the chief spoke to us, his face hard and undecipherable, even to a well-trained spy. "You will report to my office."

We all looked at each other in surprise. No one had ever been in the chief's office, besides the Regulator and the chief himself.

The chief gave us one last perplexingly mysterious look, then the screen cut out to black.

Each of our chairs vibrated, telling us we were free to go, and we all stood up, a little dazed, but hiding it expertly.

The way we'd been taught too.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

**Review, review, review!**

**(it gets better, trust me.)**

**(i know, because i already have the next three chapters written out. for safety.)**

**(and they're long.)**

**(i'm going to stop using parentheses now.)**

**MAMA MIAAA!!!! HERE I GO AGAIN!! MY, MY HOW CAN I RESIST YOUUU?!?!?! **

**she's a dancin' queen :P**


	2. And It's Been All Over You

**i just remembered that i'm not gonna be here tomorrow so i won't be able to update. the result? ta da!!! a newww chapter!! wahoo. **

**okay, i'm getting the feeling that i accidentally stole some stuff from people. i looked through a ton of the stories on here, trying to see if any one had any of the phrases i've used, and i couldn't find any, so if i did steal your thing (completely unintentional, believe me!!!) i am so sorry and just tell me so i can change it, k?**

**i've gotten like what, 4 or 5 reviews? not bad for the first couple hours! and thank you, all the awesome human beans who replied. you rock my KB socks. costco, baby! it's all the rage....**

**anywho,.,**

**this chapter sort of recaps the last few years of cammie's life. enjoy!**

:::::::::

Maybe I should explain a little.

Two years ago, right after I graduated from Gallagher, I received a visit from the CIA board of representatives. They had come to tell my mother and I that they were planning on starting a new elite branch of the CIA, called the Stonell Spies. They wanted Bex and I to join this group of advanced agents, but no one else from our graduating class. Just us.

The decision had been so hard; Bex and I had planned before this to go into the U.L.C. with Macey and Liz. But finally and ultimately, with much prodding from the other two, we decided to come here. And never once regretting it.

Stonell Spies wasn't so different from Gallagher in many aspects. The building's layout was quite similar, but instead of the many classrooms, the chambers were living quarters, recreational rooms, simulators, training gyms, and instructionals.

What seemed most different to Bex and I were the people. When we had first arrived here, we had been accustomed to the whole "all girls, all the time" routine. The only times we had been subjected to the male influence was whenever we had gone to Roseville, and that exchange with Blackthorne. Were we in for a surprise.

All the spies lived together, each unit sharing a bunkroom. So Bex and I came to this place, expecting a group of squealing girls to share makeup and clothes with, to gossip and swap stories, and what we got?

Six testerone-overridden guys who had to share a room with us. Oh, the joy.

Eventually, some of these guys moved up or moved out of Stonell, and were replaced with Raye and Dominic. Jason was the only one who had been there from the start. And let me tell you of the pleasure of knowing that the guy who had a crush on me the size of Everest was sleeping in the _same room as me. _I didn't sleep for a week after learning that interesting little tidbit.

We had worked out most of the stuff; bathroom schedules, privacy rules, that sort of thing, but some stuff was just left unspoken.

Our unit had started out just like all the other newbies'. We worked our way from the bottom up, and now we were the top level, a clearance 4.

We got the best, hardest missions out of any one at Stonell, and were proud of it.

Which brings us back to the present.

Our little group trooped diligently down the wide corridor, heads held high and confident, like all spies are trained to do. We didn't know what was going to happen or what we would do, but we kept our faces straight.

When we reached the chief's office, every one sort of looked at every one else. Finally, Bex shoved me towards the door, and I glared at her, before rapping twice on the heavy, bullet-proof steel.

A laser as thin as a toothpick scanned my retina, and with a quiet beep, and opened the door and we found ourselves inside a massive computer lab. Everything everywhere was blinking, beeping, scanning, typing...

It was computer geek heaven.

Bex and I looked at each other knowingly, thinking the same thing. Liz would have gone crazy.

"Come in," a loud voice boomed. Our heads whirled in the direction of the source of sound, and there was the chief, in all his bespectacled, whiskered glory.

He motioned to a small table off to the far side of the room. He led us over to it, and we all sat down slowly.

The chief sighed and rubbed his chin, riffling through some of the papers covering the table. Finally, he looked up at us, studying all our faces, starting with Raye, and ending with me. I almost flinched under his penetrating gaze, but my expression thankfully remained intact. What kind of spy would I be if I couldn't even keep a poker face?

The chief finally cleared his throat roughly, and handed me a manilla folder fairly bulging with papers. "I take it you're the leader?" He asked me, eyes dark and mysterious.

I nodded. The group had elected me leader about a month ago. At first I had declined, seeing as I was exactly, um, _leader material_ shall we say? But they had been insistent so, in the end, just to humor them, I accepted.

The chief made a _hmmm_ noise in his throat, and studied me once again. I made sure my breathing was regular, my gaze evenly hard as his.

Finally, he sat back in his chair and folded his hands in his lap. "Very good," he said, nodding at me. "You will do well."

On the outside, I was sure I cracked a smile, but inside I was fairly beaming. That topped my list of greatest compliments, coming from the chief.

I nodded. "Thank you, sir."

He waved a hand dismissively and leaned forward again. "This mission is probably the hardest any spy from Stonell has ever been assigned to."

We all exchanged covert glances.

The chief went on. "A rash group of rogue spies has formed a top-secret database with loads of information vital to the U.S. government. We don't know what they plan to use it for, but we are fairly sure it will play a key role if they decide to take action in infiltrating a branch of the government." He looked closely at us, narrowing his eyes. "The entire country's fate lies on this mission. You can't afford to mess this up."

"We understand, Chief." Bex spoke up.

He turned his intense eyes to her. "Do you?"

She matched his gaze. "Yes."

He exhaled deeply, then said, "Inside that folder are the identities of each of your personas. Memorize them, know them well. Know each of these disguises better than you know yourself. The country depends on it. If you blow your cover, the whole thing goes up in smoke. Which reminds me—" He looked directly at me again. _Uh oh._ "No romantic relationships will be allowed between any one outside of your unit. I think we've all learned the effects of when we let our emotions play outside of our own game." His gaze lingered on me for a moment longer, then swept the room again. "Go to the Armory. You'll find your needed equipment there." One last look… "Dismissed."

: : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : :

"Did you get a load of his eyes?" Bex whispered to me as we made our way down to the Armory. She shuddered. "I could barely move when he looked at me."

"I know," I agreed. "Super intense."

The guys were ahead of us, talking and laughing quietly amongst themselves. Bex and I were a little behind them, arms linked and heads bent close together.

She sighed. "Have you memorized your cover yet?"

"Laine Reynolds," I said, holding out my free hand. "Pleased to meet you…"

Bex grinned. "Raleigh Adams. And the pleasure's all mine, my fair miss."

We laughed and ran to catch up to the boys.

The Armory was more of a cavern than a room. It was sort of dome-shaped, with millions of deadly weapons lining the walls and shelves. We reached it, and were immediately greeted by one of the Regulators, who swept us into the Modern Culture row.

Picking out weapons was a little bit like shopping for clothes with an unlimited credit card. You could get as much as you could carry. There was nail polish (acidic, of course), cell phone-scanners, jewelry with built in trackers and comms units, tampons for the ladies that doubled as bazookas (Bex and I were quite wary of these), ballpoint pens that were really lethal poison you could stab some one with, everything you could imagine, doubled with something else. So really, it was like a two-for-one sale!

Bex and I decided to go sensible and light for this mission, and packed only the necessities: Napotine patches, stun guns the size of my pinky finger, and the necessary gear. The only thing we splurged on was the tracking/comms unit jewelry. I got some gorgeous diamond earrings, a a silver necklace with a peace-sign charm, and a big blue ring. Bex chose some dangly hoop earrings and silver and black bracelet. Back in the room, we carefully packed each item in our bags (which, if needed to, stretched to over 15 times their original size to accommodate all forms of gear).

I took a deep breath and turned to Bex and the guys. "Ready?"

Dominic grinned at me, his perfectly straight, white teeth contrasting with his tan skin. "I was born ready."

We all groaned. Raye pantomimed shooting himself in the foot. Jason sort of shifted around uncomfortably. Bex raised her eyebrows at me and made a subtle head toss in Jason's direction. I rolled my eyes. Honestly. It wasn't like _everything_ he did had to mean something!

**The Operative notes that upon further discussion with Agent Macey McHenry, yes, it did. **

We boarded a pod transfer, and approximately 2 hours, 12 minutes, and 37 seconds later reached the government hangar. There, we got on a helicopter and flew to our final destination: Emmitsburg, Maryland. Just a short drive away from the capital of the U.S. in case anything goes wrong.

Which it won't.

We arrived in Emmitsburg at 4:26 p.m. (according to my highly reliable, tricked-out watch) and made our way to the hotel we were staying at.

Usually, on regular missions, we would stay at a Motel 6 or a Holiday Inn, but since the Chief had made it clear that this was no ordinary mission, it didn't come as too much of a shock when we found out we were staying in this luxurious, top-notch—we're talking celebrities stay here. Yeah. It was _that_ nice—state of the art Aducco Lodge.

We got two rooms—guys in one, girls in another—and went up in the schmancy elevator to the sixteenth floor to unpack and check the place out. Plus, you know, work on the mission. A girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do.

"So," Bex said to me as we dumped our stuff out onto the king-sized beds. "Have you talked to Jason yet?"

I looked up. "What do you mean?"

"Like…talked _privately_?"

I rolled my eyes. "No."

"And why is that?"

"Because there's no need to!" I said firmly, stashing a package of Napotine patches in the dresser drawer. "Jason and I are just friends."

"Okaaay," Bex said, drawing out the syllable. "Are we sure on that? 'Cause Jason sure doesn't seem to thi—"

"Bex." I interrupted her. "You know I haven't felt that way about any one since…" I trailed off, feeling emotions I didn't want to feel, wishing I just hadn't said anything.

Bex looked down and nodded. "Yeah, I know Cam."

I swallowed hard. "It's just—why? Why did he never come back? He said—" I broke off, too scared that I'd start crying or something equally disconcerting, even in front of Bex. I'd made myself a promise never to cry over him again.

Bex came over to me and put her arm around my shoulder. "You know, Cam?" She whispered softly. "It's okay to cry."

I nodded, still unable to speak.

She gave me a squeeze and then pulled away. "Alright, too much mushy, emotional stuff for one day. But seriously, Cam—" Her tone softened. "I'm here, okay?"

I looked at her for a second, then threw my arms around her strong frame. "Thanks." I whispered.

"Yeah, yeah," she said jokingly, shaking me off of her. "Don't make me take the offer back."

I grinned at her, and went back to packing. What would I do without Bex?

**:::::::::::::::::::**

**aw. i like girlfriend bonding time. **

**...but let's get on with the Zammie, shall we? **

**review and i might update again tomorrow!!! (just a warning, there is a little Cammie/Zach action in the next chapter, but not much. bear with me, folks! they haven't seen each other in 2 years! and the setting isn't exactly ideal... oh, just review!! it'll make this so much easier!!**

**...as Marilla Cuthbert would say, "Fiddlesticks."**

**sigh. i just love old movies like that. right now, i am craving Mama Mia and Anne of Green Gables. sighhhh.... good old-fashioned romance!**

**mmm. :D**

**laters, taters!**

**:let's take a trip down**

**-memrylaine-:**


	3. The Heart Is A Bloom

**yo ladies and germs. **

**first of all, thank you guys so freaking much. i've never written ANYTHING gallagher girl-ish before and i'm getting all these reviews and favorites and alerts and it's just so AWESOME! thanks, tootses.**

**and, to megan: thanks for reviewing, banana head :D love ya!! and i'll email the next chappie to ya soon.**

**with much embellishment and crazy-carolineness,**

**CHAPPIE 3!!!!**

**heh. heh heh.**

: : : : : : : : : : : : : : :

"Keep quiet and no sudden movements," Raye reminded us as we crept along the wall of the building that the government had theorized to be a rebel spy base.

Raye was in the lead, followed Bex. Behind her was Jason, then Dominic, and lastly, me. We were all dressed in tight black clothing and handguns were strapped to everyone's legs. My unruly brown hair was tied up in a tight ballet bun, courtesy of Bex. Trust me, the last thing you want to worry about on a mission is your hair getting in the way. I speak from experience. A flame-thrower, a glass of orange juice, a pair of control-top pantyhose, and your hair? Yeah, not such a good combination.

The outside of the building was a dull cement-gray, with three windows facing the east, and two facing the north. We were on the south side, slowly making our way around to the east to check their escapability.

Raye suddenly stopped us. "We need to thplit up," he whispered, not pronouncing his "s's" so people couldn't define his voice in the quiet. We had been taught this since we were six years old. "Bekth and I—" He motioned to Bex. "Will go together. Dominic, you and Jathon can be partnerth, and Cam, you're good by yourthelf, right?"

I nodded, and we all turned our comms units on before splitting up.

My feet made no noise when they hit the ground as I took off towards the south side of the building to check any for any hidden entrances. As I was about to round the corner, I heard a slight scuffling noise. I hit the wall noiselessly, my heart pounding in my throat and pressed myself against the concrete as hard as I could.

The scuffling sound stopped, but I was still wary. Where had that noise come from? I closed my eyes, trying to remember, and just as I realized that I had just made a huge mistake in cutting off my vision, I was grabbed from behind and a hand slapped over my mouth.

I immediately launched into action, trying to swing elbows and knees at whoever was behind me, but they dodged my blows expertly, as though they'd trained with me before. I bit down hard on my assailant's hand, _hard_, but they didn't move it an inch. Finally, they had one arm wrapped around my waist, one over my chest, and a hand over my mouth. Their leg was wrapped around both of mine, and even though I struggled, I knew they had won. _No!_ I thought desperately. _This can't be happening! I'm a trained Stonell Spy! I can't let the agency or the government or my team or any one down like this! _But then I realized something. If they captured me, they'd probably want to question me. Which meant…taking me inside. This was my ticket in!

"Cammie? Are you okay? What's that noise?" Jason's frantic voice cut through my thoughts. Oh. Right. The comms unit. Um, oops?

Thankfully, even though they were so close to me, my attacker didn't hear Jason's question.

I thought back to my plan and decided this: I was going to be captured any way. There was no doubt about that. The only way my friends could help me was o come around that corner right now or for me to send an emergency signal, and I couldn't reach the button to enable the signal in my current position. So I might as well gain some information while I was at it.

…Yeah, it sounded lame, even to me, but I sighed, sucked up my pride and stopped struggling. This obviously startled the person, but they just tightened their grip on my body even more. They leaned their mouth down by my ear, and the warm breath tickled my skin.

"Don't move."

My breathing hitched in my throat and my heart skipped a beat. I knew that voice. I'd know it anywhere, even though I hadn't hear it in two years. Oh, my…

He slowly unpeeled his hand from my mouth, and I was about to speak, but then the cold touch of metal at the back of my neck stopped me.

"You move a muscle, you die. Understand?" His voice was low and rough, sort of a mix between gravel and honey.

I felt tears well up in my eyes and was surprised and angry with myself. What was I doing? What was happening? Was this a dream? It didn't feel like it…

I felt something in me that I hadn't felt in a long time. Repressed, unwanted emotions started bubbling up inside, and all that came out of my mouth, scratchy and sounding on the verge of tears was one word.

"_Zach?"_

_: :::::::::::: :_

**i feel evil today. muahahaha. **

**gotta go, darlings. strawberry lemonade and frolicking in the sunshine calls! **

**...yep. it's a hard life, but some one's gotta live it.**

**but, i AM getting this GENEROUS vibe...**

**if i get enough reviews i might post again today!**

**Reviews are my friends. but not the very best of friends. **

**they bite.**

**_HARD._**

**RAWR!**

**that's i love you in dinosaur. **

**:P latah latah!**


	4. Shoots Up Through The Stony Ground

**heh heh. you guys are fun to mess with :D **

**i loved all those reviews!!! keep em comin!!!**

**i already sent Megan like 4 more chapters and she approved them, so here's chappie 4.**

**and, since i left it off at a cliff-hanger last time, i will take pity on m pretties and add an extra chappie today. you're welcome. :P**

**xXchapterx4Xx**

:-:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::-:

"Wha—?" Zach's grip loosened considerably on me and despite my shock, I made a split-second decision, whirling around and grabbing the gun before he could finish the word. I pointed it at him, my hands shaking and my hearting pounding in my chest.

He just stared at me, shock spelled out clearly on his dark eyes. Well. That and panic.

"Well—what—what are you doing here?" He stuttered. My heart went into instant palpitations just hearing his voice.

"I, um…" We both stared at the gun in my hands and for the first time, it hit me, how…_weird_ this was.

Zach started backing away into the shadow. "This is too bizarre. I—" He turned and started running.

My heart sank. I hadn't seen him in two years. _Two freaking years! _And now I was in the middle of my mission—my most important mission no less—and I couldn't even go after him to talk.

I sort of drooped and sidled up to the wall again, slumping against it. _Zach_. Oh, just seeing him brought back so many memories…some good, some bad, some…just amazing…

"Cameron Anne Morgan, I swear if you do not answer in the next five seconds, I will assume either you're dead, or you're spacing out again and forgetting you're on comms, which in that case, I'll have to kill you any way, so either way you end up dead. Okay, I'm giving you five seconds starting NOW. Five…Four…Thr—"

"Bex, I—I'm fine."

"Cammie! Oh thank God…"

I looked down at my black shoes. "Yeah, um, Bex? I need to—"

"Yeah, I know, Cam. We need to talk. But trust me, I already heard enough to know most of what's going on."

"Huh?" I realized how loud my voice was becoming and lowered it. "What do you mean?"

"Cam." Bex sighed. "You were on comms. _Again_."

Oh, good lord. All the guys heard that. Including…Jason. _Crud_.

"Cam, we're coming to get you." This time it was Dominic speaking.

I blinked, trying to force any unwelcome tears back down where they came from. "Okay," I whispered.

: : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : :

Back in the hotel room, Bex and I had gotten into our beds. She was snoring loudly, and I was just lying there, thinking.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. "Cam?" Some one whispered. _Jason_. I looked regretfully at the door. I had no desire to talk to him right now. My emotions were still raw from the encounter with Zach, and I just needed time to think.

Jason knocked again. "Cammie!" He said a little louder.

I sighed, then stood up, shrugged a hotel housecoat on over my tank top and shorts, and answered the door. "Yeah?"

He looked at me, taking in my attire, and I pulled the robe tighter self-consciously. He shook his head. "I need to talk to you."

I rubbed my forehead. "Can we talk in the morning? I'm a little tired."

"Oh, um, yeah, I guess…" He said a little unsteadily, like he wasn't sure whether this was a good thing or a bad thing. "But I, uh, just wanted to talk to you about that guy…Zach."

I winced. Just hearing his name…

Jason saw my reaction and immediately reached out and touched my arm. "Oh, Cam, I'm sorry. I didn't mean—"

"It's okay," I said quietly, sort of enjoying the feeling of his warm hand on my arm. _If only it were Zach's hand…_

He gave me sort of a half-smile and squeezed my arm. "You're gonna be okay," he whispered, taking another step closer to me. My breath caught in my throat. That was what Zach had said to when he found me in the tunnels at Gallagher so long ago. _Oh, Zach…_

I looked down, trying to tamper down all these emotions arousing in me. "But…" My voice gave out. A lonely tear trailed down my cheek. _No, dang it! I do not cry!_

Jason took his free hand—the one that wasn't holding my arm—and gently traced the tear's path down my cheek and then cupped my chin. I shivered, despite my efforts not to. I didn't know what it was, but something didn't feel…right.

Jason sensed my discomfort and pulled back, running his fingers through his chin-length, caramel colored hair. "I'm sorry, I just…" He didn't finish his sentence and looked down at the floor. "Good night, Cammie."

I watched his strong figure disappear down the hallway and bit my lip. I wasn't sure what to feel. But I'm pretty sure, whatever it was, it wasn't what Jason had hoped for.

:-::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::-:

**eww. i don't really like jason...ick. cammie belongs with ZACH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**

**oh yeah, some one asked me if i was a Zammie lover. **

**!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! BOO YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I SO AM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ZAMMIE LOVERS UNITE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**

**hehe. **

**ooh, and i came to the executive decision that whenever i send megan a chapter, and she approves of it, i will upload it almost immediately. so talk to megan!! she also reads the story on here!! and she reviews!! so if you review, i'll pass it on to her :P oh, and this is for Megan: Octagon is coming up in the next few chapters :D NOOO POPPYYYY!!!!! har har har....**

**laters, my gelled enchiladas.**

**:let's take a trip down**

**-memrylaine-:**


	5. In The Maze Of Her Imagination

**what'd i tell ya? am i great or am i awesome?**

**:D**

:-::::::::::::::::::::::::::::-:

"Agent Chameleon has eyeball," I said, touching my earpiece gently.

"Good to know you're actually aware of the communication device in your ear this time." Bex's sarcasm was not, unfortunately, dulled through the electric waves.

I glanced at the hotel from where I was situated on a park bench. "Yeah, I'm feeling a little more awake today, _thanks_ Bex."

She snorted. "My pleasure."

Bex had woken me up at 4:30 this morning by means of ice water being dumped on my head. Needless to say, she didn't get away with it so easily. Much tackling had ensued.

"Let's keep a visual, ladies," Raye said again.

"Sure thing." I stood up and executed a casual three-sixty. The man was still by the fountain, as he had been for the last half hour. We were tracking some people that the government suspected were involved with the rebels or were even rebels themselves. It had been three days since my encounter with Zach, and nothing else unusual had happened.

"Subject remains rooted." I said, nonchalantly gazing up at a huge wrought-iron statue.

Raye paused. "What about Dominic and Jason?"

Dominic sighed, coming through the earpiece as a burst of static. "Same here. She's talking on her cell phone. All we've been able to pick up on the trans-interceptor is chatter about some party."

"Hmmm." I could almost picture the wheels turning in Raye's head as he thought. "Keep listening in on the party talk. Pick up any details about when and where."

"You got it, man." Dominic said distractedly, and I could hear him fiddling with the device we used to listen in on phone conversations.

I looked over to where Bex was standing and saw her stretch and stand up. "I'm going to head over to the cute little corner shop," she told us.

"Well—" Raye sounded hesitant. "Just—just keep a visual," he finally gave in.

"Duh." Bex was nonplussed.

I heard Jason sigh for at least the 27th time today and felt a little guilty. _Stupid Zach…_

"Okay," I said finally. "This is taking too long. We're getting nowhere. Dominic, got the info on the party tonight?"

"Yep."

"Good. Let's meet up at the café two blocks from here."

: : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : :

"A _masquerade ball_?" I asked, surprised. "But that's so…cliché!"

Bex nodded, sipping her latte and cuddling into Raye's side. "Totally."

Raye shrugged, causing his white-blonde hair to fall into his eyes. "Well, that's what they chose, so I guess a costume shop might be our best shot…"

"I call dibs on the vampire getup!" Dominic said suddenly, raising his hand in the air and waving it around maniacally.

We all rolled our eyes. "Good luck with that, dude." I said.

He put what he thought was a seductive look on his face and waggled his dark eyebrows. "The chicks dig it."

We groaned, then turned back to our drinks. The steam had stopped rising from my mocha and I drank it quickly before it cooled completely.

"So," Bex said. "Any ideas as to dress?"

Jason shrugged. "Formal, I'd assume."

Dominic nodded. "Yeah. That's what the lady said." He glanced at the notes he'd printed from the interceptor. "Tonight at ten, the Chapman Hotel, formal dress."

Bex looked at me, a demonic gleam in her eye. _Uh-oh._ "Sounds like Cammie and I need to do some shopping."

I groaned and dropped my head in my hands.

Dominic patted my back. "It's okay, Cam. I'll come to your funeral," he whispered.

I swatted at him, and he laughed and smacked me back. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Jason watching us uncomfortably. I immediately stopped goofing off and turned back to my empty cup. This whole thing was so messy.

Bex kissed Raye, starting out as a peck, then turned into something more, until she pulled away and stood up, grinning at the pouty look on Raye's face. "Come on, Cam," she said. "Let's go do some serial shopping."

:-:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::-:

**oh and just wanted to clear this up for any stray wanderers: Dominic is NOT romantically interested in Cammie. there is no affection more than friendship whatsoever there. i just like making Jason jealous :D cuz i'm just evil like that.**

**muahahahaha.**

**ha.**

**haha.**

**yes, yes, no need for thanks.**

**but i would appreciate a well-rounded review :D**

**isn't that stupid how on the little review box they tell you how it's such a "Golden Opportunity" and a "well-rounded critique" is "Imperative to Authors"?????? **

**seriously!!!!**

**but i love em anywho. :D**


	6. You've Got No Destination

**this one's a little longer than usual.**

**and before i say anything else, i wanna say that you guys (aka the reviewers) ARE AWESOME!!!!! i'm getting so much feedback on this story, it's amazing! :)**

**and:**

**A/N: this is an author's note. written by an author. **

**beat that.**

:-::::::::::::::::::::::::::-:

"Suck it in!" Bex commanded, cinching the straps on my dress.

I gritted my teeth. "Is—this—better?"

She pulled harder, then sighed in despair and let go of the straps. "Nope. This one doesn't fit either." She flopped into a chair.

I unzipped the dress carefully, sucking in air. "Does this mean I've gained weight?"

"Nope." Bex closed her eyes. "It means you've got a figure now. A _nice_ figure. No wonder Jason's obsessed with you."

I glared at her. "He is not—"

She waved a hand dismissively. "Oh, whatever. Forget I said anything."

A saleslady came into the dressing room, rolling a rack of dresses in front of her. "You ladies need any help?"

Bex opened her eyes slowly. "Oh, we're—" Her eyes widened and she flew from the chair to the rack the lady was pushing, grabbing a black dress and holding it up for inspection; in the process, shoving the saleslady aside, much to the poor woman's mortification. _No one_ gets in Rebecca Baxter's way when it comes to shopping. "Just fine," she said and a slow smile spread across her face. She looked at me slyly. "How bout one more, _Laine_?"

: : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : :

I was met with all levels of enthusiasm when I came out the little changing cubicle. The guys had all gotten their tuxes and came to wait with Bex for me to finish up.

Bex was squealing in a very un-Bex-ish way. Raye nodded approvingly, his arm around Bex's waist. Dominic's eyes were about the size of dinner plates, and Jason just stared openly.

"Well?" I asked nervously. Was it that bad?

"Ca—Er, Laine," Bex said, her face shining. "You look _gorgeous_!" The dress was floor-length and black. It was strapless (why do all the dresses that look decent on me have to be STRAPLESS?!) and a little lower than I would have preferred—but as long as Bex was happy, so was I—with a small strip of satiny black material tied around my waist.

I smiled hesitantly, a little unsure of myself. "Um, thanks."

Bex came out of her fashion-trance and turned to the other guys. "Snap out of it!" She punched Dominic and Jason.

Dominic gazed at me with his dark eyes. "Cam, there's something on your chest. Oh, wait. It's my e—"

"Okay, guys, it's probably time to head back to the hotel," I said quickly before he could finish his perverted remark. Jason looked a little relieved, but disappointed at the same time. I fled back into the changing cubicle and slumped against the wall, closing my eyes. How could it be that even though I was surrounded with all these amazing-looking guys who were obviously interested in me, all I could think of was…Zach?

: : : : : : : : : : : : : :

"Lookin' good, Cam." Bex looked up from where she was adjusting the neckline of her dress. It was a deep, shimmery blue that looked great against her tan skin.

"Thanks," I said admiringly. "You too."

She grinned at me, then went back to her alterations.

I finished strapping my handgun to my thigh, then covered it up with my dress just as a knock sounded at the door. "Ladies?" Raye called. "Your limo awaits."

"What?" Bex and I looked at each other in surprise. "A _limo_?"

Bex opened the door and Raye looked at her, then smiled, raising his eyebrows, and kissed her hard on the mouth. They were starting to really get into it when I cleared my throat awkwardly.

"Oh. Right." Bex pulled back, smoothing her hair down.

Raye grinned at her. "Yup. A limo. With a privacy wall."

Bex laughed and tugged at his tie. "We'll have to check that out." _Awkward turtle_, I thought, and sort of turned and faced the other way.

Raye leaned down to her and whispered, "Maybe—"

Dominic and Jason entered the room. "Save it for later, dude," Dominic patted Raye on the back.

Phew. I owed them one. But still… they were such pigs.

Jason cleared his throat nervously, then came up to me. "Er, Cammie?" He gave a little cough. "Would you like to be my, um, dinner partner?"

My eyes widened and I looked down at my feet. What was I supposed to say? _Um, sorry, I still have this monstrous crush on a guy I haven't seen in 2 years and I just saw him last night and that revisited a lot of memories and I'm not sure I'm emotionally ready for this and_—

"She'll be both of our partners," Dominic said quickly, sensing my discomfort and looping my arm through his. I smiled up at him gratefully and he just winked at me.

We climbed into the limo, giving Bex and Raye a seat to themselves, and went over details on our way there.

I gestured to the driver. "Is he—?"

Raye nodded. "Yup. He's one of us."

I breathed a sigh of relief. "Good."

Dominic pulled out some files. "Every one got your legends memorized?"

We all nodded and shared cover names.

"Travis Clark," Raye recited.

Jason cleared his throat. "Carter Logan."

Dominic folded his hands. "Mario del Sol." He tried to bow while sitting down. It didn't exactly work out.

Bex and I told them our names, and then we were there.

A glance out the window revealed many well-dressed couples climbing out of decked-out limousines and entering through the main doors. Then I noticed something important.

"Raye?" His looked at me. "We wouldn't happen to have…tickets, would we?"

He looked out the tinted window and swore. "We're going to have find another way in."

Bex patted his leg. "That shouldn't be too hard."

I did a gear-check. "Every one got their weapons?" They all nodded. "Good."

The driver parked the limo a little ways down the road, and we climbed out noiselessly.

I surveyed the hotel. The bright lights from windows seared through the darkness of the evening. "Looks like the storage unit's open. We can try that."

So we skirted the building in a wide circle, then ran towards the storage entrance.

An opening big enough for semitrucks to play limbo in gaped at us. I motioned every one closer to me. "Okay, let's split up. Since we've already studied the layout of the building, we'll know where to go. Dominic—" I looked at him. "You go to the area beside the kitchen." He nodded and took off. "Raye and Bex—" They grinned at each other. "You guys can have the exit corner." They left, too. "Jason, you can scope out the dining area. Try to focus on the staff instead of the guests. They might have some rebel spies acting as workers." Jason looked at me a little regretfully before vanishing as well. I sighed, then took off with a running start, pulling my dress up to mid-thigh so I wouldn't trip over it.

Inside the huge garage, everything was dark and smelled like motor oil and sweat. I hugged the walls, staying deep in the shadows. Everything was completely silent. I turned my comms unit off to keep it that way.

As I circled a large truck, a quick jerk of motion caught my eye. I glanced at a corner where the movement had come from, and studied it carefully. I could just barely make out…a figure. My heart started pounding.

Apparently, I wasn't the only one searching for answers.

:-:::::::::::::::::::::::::::-:

**oooh scary!!!! be afeared!!! **

**if i get enough reviews, i might post again today :P**


	7. Even If That Doesn't Ring True

**ah. how terribly cliche of me.**

**:D octagon and poppy are in this one!! hehe megan**

**sorry for slow update. i was gone all weekend with mah girlfriends! :D we rocked the frikkin house!!!**

**and our play was awesome. written by yours truly. heh heh.**

**maybe i'll post it some time..?**

**anypoof, here's ---chapterrrr 7---!!**

:-::::::::::::::::::::::::::-:

The figure shifted a little, and I dropped to the ground noiselessly. The person crept out from their hiding place and slipped around the truck. I got up again and followed after them.

They ducked and weaved around huge trucks, staying in the shadow at all times. I knew this was no ordinary party guest.

They took a shortcut through the garage and soon we were heading up to the ballroom where the masquerade party was about to start. Stopping in front of a small side door that led into the room, they proceeded to extricate a tool from their pocket, and began picking the lock. Now was my chance.

I launched forward, wrapped one arm around their neck, and slapped a Napotine patch on their arm. The person slumped against the door, then crumpled face-down into a heap on the plush carpet.

I rolled them over to get a good look at their face. What I saw sent my heart battering my lungs with a feral ferocity.

It was Zach.

My breathing hitched and my mind spun with questions. What was he doing here? Why was he down in the garage? What was he looking for?

I glanced up and down the hallway, making sure no one was coming, then pulled Zach up and slung his strong frame over my shoulder. I almost shivered at the closeness of his body to mine.

I dragged him through the hallway until coming to a flight of stairs that led to the second floor of guest rooms. Panting heavily, I heaved him up the stairs and stopped in front of the first door. I knocked on it, ensuring that there was no one inside, then plucked the lock-picking tool from Zach's pocket and fiddled around until an audible popping sound came from the lock.

I swung the door open, pulled Zach inside and onto one of the beds, then flopped on the other.

I had only used one Napotine patch, so that would last about…three hours. I groaned. We didn't have that much time! My team would be looking for me soon, if they hadn't started already, and if they found me, I knew I was toast.

I looked at Zach, collapsed on the bed, his breathing even and steady, and groaned. "This is all your stupid fault, you idiot." Then I sighed. "You gorgeous, amazing idiot."

: : : : : : :

After about ten minutes of waiting, I grew restless. There wasn't enough time for this. I racked my brain for options. What else was there to do?

Suddenly, I remembered a class I had taken at Gallagher about chemicals. I distinctly recalled one of the teachers there going over the concept of reversing the Napotine patch. I felt like hitting my forehead. Of course! Why had it taken me so long to remember this?!

I went into the luxurious, deluxe-sized bathroom and started looking for some supplies.

After collecting some soap, lemon juice, and a couple cotton balls to add to the other ingredients I had in my pack, I went over and kneeled by Zach.

Muttering to myself, I mixed the portions together and dunked several cotton balls in the compound mixture.

I carefully peeled off the Napotine patch and was about to stick the soggy cotton ball to that spot, when something stopped me. I looked at Zach's face. What was I going to do when he woke up? Would he remember anything?

His face was completely serene, and he had this expression that I had never seen before. He looked…peaceful.

I looked back to the cotton ball, and in a burst of determination, stuck it firmly to his arm.

The effect began almost immediately. His eyelids fluttered, and his fingers twitched. I backed away cautiously, keeping my distance.

He opened his eyes fully, and sat straight up. Shock registered in his expression, and his gaze swept over the whole room before landing on me.

His eyes widened almost imperceptibly, and he jumped off the bed and sort of brushed himself off, all panicky.

I reached out a hand and touched his arm. "Hey."

He flinched as though I'd slapped him, and I immediately pulled away.

He shook his head, as thought trying to clear a surrounding fog. "What the _heck_? Am I dreaming?"

I bit my lip. "No. I, uh, I found you and y—"

Realization dawned in his eyes and I knew he remembered. "And so you knocked me out? Isn't that a little low for you, Gallagher Girl?" _Gallagher Girl._ It had been so long since I'd heard him call me that.

I tried to control my raging emotions. "I didn't know it was you."

He rubbed his forehead. "Yeah, well, hi to you, too."

I took a deep breath and we both sort of just stood there awkwardly. "So…"

He looked up at me again, his eyes unreadable. "It's been awhile, huh?"

That hit me hard. It was all I could take to not burst out into frustrated tears. "Um, yeah."

He blew out a sigh. "This is so bogus. All of this. Meeting you here, everything."

"I know."

He took a step closer to me, and his features softened. "I didn't forget you," he whispered, his dark hair falling into those mesmerizing eyes.

I swallowed. _Oh, my…"_Me neither."

He bent his head, looking down and didn't say anything.

I felt something inside me stirring again, just like it had when I had seen him outside the building that night. It grew bigger, and stronger, and deeper, and something inside of me suddenly snapped.

Before I realized what I was doing, I grabbed Zach's face, brought it down to mine, and kissed him long and hard. It took me a second to become aware of the fact that I had just kissed him, and longer to comprehend the even _more_ astounding fact that he was _kissing me back._

I knew that this was completely going against everything. My mission, my code as a Stonell Spy, my promise to my friends, and my promise to myself. But I just couldn't bring myself to stop.

Zach's arms circled around my waist, and I felt his head slanting to the side. I knew this was going too far. I had to stop.

But _dang_, it felt so good.

Then I got a mental picture of my friends bursting in here and finding us glued together. Bex's shock, Raye's astonishment, Dominic's surprised smirk, Jason's wounded expression…

I pulled away suddenly and looked down. Zach put his thumb underneath my chin and tilted my face up, forcing me to look at him.

I swallowed hard when his gaze met mine. His eyes were still the same color, if not even more intense. They held a look of wonder, which just made me blush.

"I'm sorry," I said softly, shaking my head and pulling away. "I shouldn't have—"

"Then why did you?" Zach's eyes glittered.

I struggled to keep my face expressionless. "I—I don't know…"

Zach reached up and cupped my chin, then leaned down and planted the softest of kisses on my jawline. Then he pulled back and stepped away. "I'll see you again." Then he left.

I was still a little dazed, and sort of sank on to the bed. It was all too much to process! Zach, being here, me kissing him, him kissing me…He had said he would see me again. What did that mean? And if he did want to see me again, how would that work? The Chief had been immensely firm about this stipulation. We couldn't, as Stonell Spies, have romantic relationships outside of the group. If I did see him, it would have to be in secret.

A buzzing noise came from my backpack. I leapt up and found my tracker-pager vibrating loudly. I opened the message.

_**Cam, get your freaking tush down here! The guys are going bonkers and they're gonna start looking for you if your butt is not parked securely in this room soon. Hurry up!!**_

—_**Bex **_

I sighed and tucked the device back in my gear bag. Knowing the guys, I only had about a minute and 32 seconds before they sent out their search party. I strapped all my things back in place and made my way back down the stairway and crept into the ballroom through the side door I'd immobilized Zach at.

As I entered the room, a wave of sound and smells hit me. Fancy ball music filled the air, and hundreds of different designer perfumes lingered on every one's skin, causing an overall obnoxious fusion of scent.

Hanging chandeliers lit the room, and couples danced fluidly beneath them. The whole chamber had a very antique feel, with lots of rich gold and burgundy tones.

I glanced through the thick crowd, trying to spot the rest of my group. There were so many people attending this gala, it made it impossible to find them.

Finally, I spotted Bex in her gorgeous blue gown, and made my way over to them casually.

When Bex saw me, her face lit up with relief. "Oh, thank God!" She cried, throwing her arms around me. Then, making sure the others couldn't hear, she whispered covertly in my ear, "We seriously need to talk. Meet me by the refreshments table in five."

Then she pulled away and sighed. "Cam, what are we going to do with you, my little absent-minded professorette?"

I grinned. "Sorry."

Raye, Jason, and Dominic came over and joined us, each giving me a lengthy scolding. I rolled my eyes at them, then Bex and I made our way to the refreshments table.

"So," Bex said as she inspected a crystal glass of punch. "Care to explain?"

I sighed. "This is all too bogus for me to process."

Bex raised her eyebrows, and looking satisfied that it was poisonless, took a sip of her punch. "Come again?"

"I saw Zach again."

Instead of spitting her punch out like movie characters do, Bex just nodded wisely. "That's what I thought."

I groaned in frustration. "I haven't seen him in two years, then all of a sudden _bam!" _ I clapped my hands for emphasis. "He's at a rebel spy base. Then, a couple days later, I find him at a ball. A freaking _ball!_ I mean, what am I supposed to make of this?"

She traced the rim of her glass with one finger. "I don't know, Cam. I don't know."

The dance finished, and all the couples dancing stopped and applauded. The conductor of the orchestra stepped up in front of a microphone. "And now, for this special number, ladies and gentlemen," he said, obviously enjoying this. "We'd like _every one_ to find a partner and dance this next number." He bowed, and stepped back to his position in front of the orchestra.

Bex and I looked at each other uneasily, and started scanning the crowd.

Raye snuck up behind her and snaked his arms around her waist. "Dance with me?"

She laughed. "I thought you'd never ask!" She threw an uneasy glance at me. "You gonna be okay, Cam?"

I nodded, perhaps a little over-enthusiastically. "Yeah, you guys go ahead. I'll be fine."

As I watched them disappear into the throngs of people, I felt a light tap on my shoulder. I turned around, and standing before me was one of the most gorgeous guys I'd ever seen. He was tall and broad-chested, with shaggy, chestnut hair and gorgeous, sea-green eyes.

"I noticed you had no partner," he said in this deep, gravelly voice. "I thought maybe I could fill in?"

I pasted a smile on my face. "Sure."

I found myself swept onto the floor, and being pulled around by this guy through the droves.

"So," he said, his grip on my waist tightening a bit. "What's your name?"

I scanned the crowd, looking for any familiar faces, and spotted Dominic dancing with an enticed-looking girl. I almost rolled my eyes. "Umm, yeah," I said distractedly. "Laine. Laine Reynolds."

He smiled, revealing rows of perfect, straight teeth. "What an original name. Laine."

I forced a smile. "Yeah. What's yours?"

His lips twitched. "Octagon."

"Octagon?" Now he had my attention. "And you said my name was weird!"

"Hey," he said mock-defensively. "I never said it was weird. I said it was _original_."

I started to laugh, but then out the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of Zach dancing with another girl. I almost swiveled around, but kept my composure and, making a split-second decision out of pure confusion, jealousy, and who knows what else, pulled Octagon over to where Zach was dancing.

"So, Octagon," I said a little too loudly. "What do you do for a living?"

In my peripheral vision, I saw Zach look up in surprise, and turn back to his partner.

"Poppy," he said, loud enough for me to hear. "Isn't this a lovely party?"

I turned back to Octagon. He was looking at me a little strangely. "Err…I work for Corporate Relations at Indigo."

I strained my ears just enough to hear Zach's partner, _Poppy_, say in an equally confused tone, "Um, yes, it is."

I caught Zach checking to see if I had noticed him. I pretended to focus all my attention on Octagon. "That sounds marvelous," I purred. Wait a second—purred?! I do not purr! What was going on?!

Octagon grinned, raising his eyebrows and clearly enjoying this. "Not as marvelous as you."

I almost did a double take. Um, _ew?_ Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Zach was very close to doing the same. I almost smirked. Zach was jealous.

And that made it all worth it.

:-:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::-:

**quick question...**

**was the whole "Making Zach/Cammie Jealous" thing too juvenile? i'll try to change it if enough people say yes, but if you liked it, and want no change, vote nopers, k? **

**:D**

**Rylaine: _(sang opera-style)_ Reviews, reviews, lovely reviewwws, they make so happyyyy! Reviews, reviews, amazing reviews, they are lovely to meeee!**

**oh, yeah. i got _soul_.**

**...well. you get the gist of it.**

**REVIEWWWWWWWW!!!!!!**


	8. No Space To Rent In This Town

**i know, i know. **

**i'm a naughty girl. but i felt so bad, i didn't even send this one to Megan. i figured i'd probably be too lazy later, so i just did it now. sorry Megan darling!**

**hope this makes up for lost time. *sheepish grin***

:-:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::-:

"Dang, girl!" Bex's voice sounded in my ear, making me jump. "You romantic fool, you." Oh. Right. Comms unit.

Octagon looked at me strangely.

"I just—" I blustered. "I just remembered something from a while ago, and er…"

He smiled.

"And, uh," I continued. "It's so hot in here with all these people, and I'm claustrophobic…" Lie. I've crawled through a tunnel that just barely gave me room to breathe and never broke a sweat.

Octagon leaned closer to my ear. "Maybe we should go somewhere a bit more…private."

I almost shuddered. This was getting waaay too serious for my liking. "Um, actually," I said, trying to pull away. "I have to go meet my friends…""

His grip on my waist tightened. "I guess they'll just have to wait."

"What?!" Bex's angry voice rang out in my ear.

Okay, now that just made me mad, too. Did this guy not know that I could kill him with just about every object in this room? Was he not aware of the fact that his striped tie was a lethal weapon I could use against him in 769 different ways? Or that the comms unit poking out from his ear—

_Oh, my…_ He had a comms unit.

Crap.

I tried to look calm, glancing around the room for any one in my group, trying to spot Bex, or Raye, or Dominic, or even Jason. But the only person I recognized was Zach.

Make that a double crap.

"Octagon" pulled me even closer, then whispered viciously into my ear, "We're going to go for a little ride, my dear _Laine Reynolds_."

"Okay, Cam, not good," Dominic's voice came through comms. "We're coming to get you."

"Guys." Raye's voice was slightly on the frantic side. "Jason has his comms off. We can't leave him."

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Zach watching me carefully, and in a fit of desperation, I flung a distressed look his way. He saw it, and a look came over his face, full of anger and…regret? I didn't have time to analyze it further.

As I scanned the room once more, I saw Dominic, Raye, and Bex surrounding my captor and I.

…Wait. Where was Jason?

A dark figure flitted through the crowd. It weaved through the thick throngs of dancers and socialites, coming to stop next to Raye. A scream gurgled up in my throat, but was cut off when I saw the person's face. _Jason_. My training-enhanced vision caught the slight movement at his side as he pulled out a handgun and shoved it against Raye's back, hidden from all the party-goers' views.

Jason was a…rebel spy. A turncoat. A double agent. _Oh, my… _

Then Jason caught my eye and winked at me, tapping his shoulder twice, meaning it was all an act. _All an act? _I breathed a sigh of relief. Of course. Out of all of us, Jason would be the last person to switch sides.

So Jason was pretending to be a rebel spy. Where was the real rebel, then? He had a lot of explaining to do…

Before I knew it, similar figures did the same to Bex and Dominic, and we were all led out to the storage unit garage where I had seen Zach earlier.

_Zach_. Where was he?

Our captors pulled off their masks and pushed us all into the bed of one of the trucks. Even though they hadn't tied us up, their guns were still drawn, and they knew we couldn't escape like this. I looked to Jason and he nodded to us carefully.

The leader, my dance partner, waved his gun in the air. "Jig's up, people," he sneered.

Raye narrowed his eyes and I knew he had seen Jason's motion. "Think again."

Before they knew what was happening, the rebel spies had been jumped, stripped of their weapons, bound, and Napotine-patch-slapped. Courtesy of Bex, Dominic, Raye, Jason, and me, all in under 67 seconds.

Not bad, if I do say so myself.

"Chief!" Jason was running to us, talking furiously fast into his HQ headset. "We need back-up here at the Chapman Hotel." He rattled off the address. "We've got a bunch of rebel spies in captivity." The Chief said something and Jason's brow furrowed. "No, they're unconscious. Alright. Thanks."

He snapped the phone shut and turned to us. "So, what'd you think?"

"Of what?" Bex's nose wrinkled.

Jason glanced around and gestured for us to run outside. We needed to get out of the area.

As we sprinted to the location of our parked limo, Jason clarified for us. "Of my little act back there."

"I think that deserved a Grammy, my man!" Dominic slapped Jason a high five.

"Yeah, whatever," Bex managed to roll her eyes and flip her hair back while running. That is one talented girl, I tell you.

We ran up alongside the limo and slipped in, breathing heavily. Bex slumped against Raye and closed her eyes. "I haven't done so much sprinting since 0-6-8 tryouts."

I laughed breathlessly. "No kidding."

Jason looked at me out of the corner of his eye and grinned. A knot formed in the pit of my stomach. What was wrong with me? The car became awkwardly silent.

Raye cleared his throat. "So, Jason. Care to enlighten us?"

"Sure." Jason relayed to us how he had picked up a rebel signal from one of the guys at the ball and Napotined him, indiscreetly dragged him outside, and stolen all his gear. After storing the evidence, Jason had called in another agent from a different case who was transporting the rebel spy to a debriefing warehouse. "Check it out, guys," he said, proudly displaying the rebel gear.

We each grabbed an item and tinkered with it carefully, making sure not to tamper with any important files. There were stun guns, injecters, trans-interceptors, signal deflectors, comms shields…

It was the Anti Stonell.

I reached for a emmessenger—also known as the "emergency messenger"—and clicked on "Inbox."

_4 New Emmessages_

I selected the first one.

_From: Agent 407_

_Wonders of the world: infiltration almost complete. Need more equip. More details f-t-f._

**Translation (courtesy of The Operative): Agent—our little sneak into the government files is almost done. Tell you more face to face.**

"Bex." I nudged her. "Look at this."

Her brow furrowed as she read the small print. "Uh-oh. That doesn't sound good."

"I know." I passed it to Raye, who immediately whipped out his HQ headset.

"Chief? We've got some evidence that the Rebel Infiltration is almost finalized." He paused. "Yes—yes—no, sir—alright. Thank you very much, sir." He pulled the headset off and slipped the emmesenger into his bag. This action caused a nagging in the back of my mind. I couldn't quite identify the feeling, but the steady tugging worried me. Being a spy was about following your gut feeling. And right now, my gut was sending a clear signal: I needed that emmessenger.

"Raye." My voice sounded smooth and nonchalant. "I'll keep it."

His eyes narrowed in curiosity. "Why?"

I stared him down. "I'm the leader. I think I can take care of a piece of enemy equipment that _I found_."

He shrugged, and handed the item to me. The nagging feeling lessened, but I still felt a little uneasy. What was going on?

:-:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::-:

**oooh. much foreshadowing. props to those who can figure out what's going on! heh. **

**that might prove to be a challenge. :D**

**oh, and to any one who's been wondering....**

**yes, the chapters are named from the lyrics to the song Beautiful Day by U2. i love that song :)**

**gahhh, i still need to update Back To Work.... waaaaaahhh.....**

**y'all are so privileged.**

**:P**

**laters and taters and hott waiters.**

**XD ooh la la.**


	9. The Sky Falls

**hey y'all.**

**here's a looong chappie to compensate for the wa****it!**

**I shall dedicate it to OutsideJokes.... cuz their story is awesome. ;)**

**loves to all!**

**i just had brownies and i feel all warm and fuzzy inside... sigh... maybe that's why this chap is so horribly, beautifully LONG...**

**anywho.**

**enjoy Chappater NEIN!!!**

: - : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : - :

"Ugh," Bex groaned as she flopped on her bed. "What a night."

"Mmm." I murmured conspiratorially. "I concur." Our chauffer had taken us back to the hotel using an alternate route—involving helicopters and sky-diving—just to make sure we lost any possible tails. Talk about hectic.

Bex and I hurried to change into some comfier clothes. She went into the bathroom to take a shower and I got the main room for changing.

As I slipped off my dress, a piece of white paper floated down to the floor. My heart beat a little faster. When I picked up the note, I noticed immediately that it was written on Evopaper. Now who would have access to Evopaper? I knew automatically it was from a spy.

The message read:

_C,_

_Meet me at Powell Park at 3:38 a.m._

_We need to talk._

—_Z _

I'll give you three guesses as to who "Z" was.

"Cammie?" Bex walked out of the bathroom, making me jump and instinctively try to cover myself with my shod dress. She looked at me standing there in the middle of the room, in my matching bra and panty set, holding a piece of paper, a surprised expression on my face—

Oh. Right. The paper.

"Cam?" Her voice was suspicious. "What is that?"

I fumbled. "Um, nothing…"

Her eyes were hard. "Uh huh."

"I can't hide anything from you, Bex," I sighed and shoved the note into her hands, crossing my arms and waiting for a response. As I studied her face, her expression changed at intervals. First it was curious, then surprised, then dubious.

She handed me back the message. "What the heck are you planning on doing?"

I groaned, putting the paper in my mouth and feeling it disintegrate, the cool taste of mint unleashing its flavor. "I have no freaking earthly idea."

Bex raised her eyebrows. "I'll tell you what you can do right now."

"What?"

"Get dressed." She thrust some sweats and a black tank top into my hands.

I rolled my eyes and pulled them on. "Happy?"

"Very much so. Now," she said, laying down on my bed. "Let's assess the note. My first impression was—"

"No," I said. "First, you have to promise me you won't tell the other guys about this."

Bex looked up from where she was ticking off points on her fingers. "Cam, you know I can't do that. Protocol."

I gave her a desperate look. "Bex, you've gotta keep it a secret. Please."

She looked down at her fingernails, and after a long moment, replied grudgingly. "Fine."

"Great." I hugged her. "You're the best friend ever."

"Yeah, yeah," she muttered gruffly. "I know." She looked up at me expectantly. "Now can we assess the note?"

I rolled my eyes. "Whatever makes you happy."

She grinned. "Great. Okay so, I thought that the fact that he used the Four Infamous Words wasn't such a good sign, I mean 'we need to talk'?! What is this, a soap opera? Honestly…"

: - : : : : : : : : : : : - :

My heart beat a little quicker as Bex and I crept around the dark corner, engulfed in the shadows. "Remember," Bex said quietly, almost inaudible. "Keep your comms on at all times. And always have your mini stun gun on hand. And—"

"Bex." I interrupted her. "I'll be fine." We were standing outside the back of the hotel.

She wrung her hands. "I have a bad feeling about this."

"Come on," I said, grinning slightly. "It's a _date_."

She just barely cracked a smile, then gently pushed me away. "Better get your butt in gear if you want to make 3:38."

I blew her a kiss and smiled, then started running down the dark street, my feet making light patting noises on the pavement. I was going to see Zach. And talk to him. My heart pounded furiously.

I was going to see Zach.

Buildings, signs, cars flew by, shrouded by the darkness as I raced down the sidewalk. When I neared the park, I dropped to the ground in a crouching position, as protocol. Hearing no sound but the rhythm of my own breathing sparring with the beat of my heart, I stood again slowly and edged closer to the park.

Surprisingly, there were still people up walking at this time of night. It was going to be harder to find Zach than I thought.

I walked in slow, cautious loops around the park, staying completely alert. On my fourth round, I glanced at my watch. It read _3:37_. I sighed and rubbed the bridge of my nose.

Suddenly, a crackling of dry leaves sounded behind me. My hand flew instinctively to my pocket where the rebel Emmessenger was carefully stowed. I spun around and landed in a less than noticeable attack position, hands clenched into lethal fists at my sides. A thousand worries whirled around my mind. What if this little meeting had all been a trick? What if it wasn't Zach who had given me the note? What if—

"Cammie?" And instantly, all my fears melted away. I knew it was him. Zach strolled up to me confidently, most of his body hidden by shadows.

I looked anywhere but him, feeling instantly nervous. "Um, yeah, Zach?"

He finally stood in front of me, and reaching out a hand, lightly cupped my cheek. "Mmhmm," he murmured.

Shivers ran down my spine. _Good_ shivers. _Oh, crap_. "Um, what did you want to talk about?"

He stepped even closer, still his hand never leaving my cheek, and a slice of harsh light from of the streetlights cast across his face, illuminating those gorgeous eyes. They held so much emotion I couldn't even read them. "Let's walk." His fingers left my face and reached down to take my hand in his.

We started sauntering around the shadowy park slowly, neither one of us talking. I don't know about him, but I was just trying to sort out my thoughts. Conflicting emotions raged inside of me. What was Zach doing here anyway? How could I trust him? And if he left, how could I stand losing him again?

Finally, I couldn't take the silence any more. "You said you wanted to talk, Zach. Start talking."

He ran his free hand through his hair and sighed, waiting a few moments before replying. "Everything's so complicated. I—" He stopped walking and looked me straight in the eye. "—I thought could tell you tonight. I thought I was strong enough. But I'm—" He looked down. "I'm not. I'm sorry I can't tell you right now, but I promise I will later."

Okay. If I hadn't been totally and utterly confused before, this just sealed the deal. What was he hiding from me?

I dropped his hand, instantly feeling a pang of regret. "Then maybe I should just go. If you're not going to be honest with me, there's no point in being here." And with that, I spun on the heel of my pointy-toed boot and stalked away. As soon as I had executed my dramatic exit, I started secretly hoping that Zach would come after me.

_Come on, what's taking him so long?_

Then realization sank in and I felt hot tears stinging the backs of my eyes. He didn't need me. He didn't want me.

_Stupid. Stupid, stupid stupid._ The word repeated itself over and over in my mind, an endless mantra of self-pity, with every step I took. Why had I even come here tonight? I had deceived the guys, broken their trust, and even worse, brought Bex into the equation! I was so_ stupid—_

"Cammie!" Zach's voice startled me and I wheeled around to see what was going on, but abruptly felt Zach's lips crash against mine. Once again, it took me a moment to realize what had happened. Then, against all good will and common sense, I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him back.

_I wonder if heaven tastes this good?_

Zach's arms were around my waist, his hands resting on the bare skin between my shirt and pants. A delicate shiver ran through me, and he smiled against my lips. Then he started walking forwards, pushing me up against a tree and began kissing me even more passionately than before.

All of the actions came rushing at me together. Zach's warm hands on my skin, his lips against mine, our hearts beating in unison…

Suddenly, I felt a vibrating sensation in my pocket.

My first, quite bleary thought was _whaaaat?_ I didn't have a tracker-pager on me. Then I remembered—

The rebel Emmessenger.

Some one had just sent it a message.

Zach felt the vibrating, too, and pulled away, his hands still resting on my hips. "What was that?"

"Oh," I said airily. "Just my mom texting me. She does that to keep in contact when she's overseas." I waited for the adrenaline rush through me, like it always does when I lie. This time, though, I just felt sick.

Zach believed me too, which made it the nauseated feeling even worse. I gave him one last kiss, then said good night.

While walking back to the hotel in the washed-out, gray light that only comes in the very earliest of the morning, I checked my watch. _4:51_. Zach and I had been together for two hours.

Well. Give or take 12 minutes, 23 seconds, and 75 milliseconds.

When I decided I was far enough away from the park, and in a secluded area of town, I pulled the Emmessenger out of my bag and clicked on the "new message" button.

**Wonders of the world: rebel spy missing. Not reported on farewell. Somewhere in the city. Shocks require base. Needed for infiltration. Sending out search party now.**

**Translation (courtesy of The Operative): We have a rebel spy missing. They didn't check out, but we do know they're somewhere in the city because we installed a shock signal in their body that will kill them if they try to leave the city limits. Just to make sure none of the rebels can turn on us. We need this spy for the infiltration. We're sending out a search party now.**

A rebel spy was on the loose! And a search party meant more rebel spies. I exited the inbox and tucked the valuable piece of equipment back into my pocket, then pulled out my team headset and pushed the "alert" button.

Dominic answered first, sounding like he'd been up on coffee all night. "What's up."

Raye picked up second, then Bex and Jason. I relayed the message to them, then told them to meet me in Bex and mine's room.

When every one was there, I pulled out the Emmessenger and showed them the message, reading it aloud once more. "What do you guys think?"

Raye ran a hand through his angel-blonde hair. "I think we're on duty tonight."

"Yeah," Bex agreed. "Let's get 'em."

We split up, every one going separately, grabbed our gear, and hit the pavement. I took the west side of the city, where the action was. _Why are there so many people out this early?_

"Excuse me," I tapped on a woman with an expensive-looking purse's shoulder. "What's with the crowds?"

She looked at me like I had just told her that I was devil himself. "You've never heard of the Yellow Tag Sale?"

I shook my head. "Can't say I have."

She rolled her eyes. "All the stores take part in it. Just about everything is half-priced or more. It's only the biggest shopping event of the year."

Oh, joy. The night—well, morning now—we get to catch rebel spies, we have to deal with half-crazed, rabid shoppers.

Bright lights and loud music pulsed through the streets, littered with beer bottles and trash. The wimpy morning light was growing stronger. People crowded the sidewalk, making it effortless to blend in, but almost impossible to find a rebel spy search party.

I scanned the hordes of people, looking for tell-tale signs on rebel agents. As a spy, I was trained to notice everything, so the colors and noises crashed against me like a wave, overloading my senses and emotions. I felt overwhelmed and took deep breaths, all the while racing down the sidewalk, feeling ultimately invisible.

"Cam, see anything?" Dominic's voice crackled with static.

"Nope. You?"

He sighed heavily. "No dead give-aways."

Raye spoke up. "Yeah a big, flashing sign pointing to a rebel would be nice."

We kept looking. Curious, to see where the others were, I checked my tracker and was about to type in my teammates names, expecting to see the four blue points that represented them, when I stopped. Six red dots were about fifty feet away from me on the grid.

No. Freaking. Way.

The Chief had sent back–up.

"Raye."

"What is it?"

I gritted my teeth. "Did you request back-up?"

"No." He sounded confused. "Why?"

"Check your tracker."

"What's wrong?" Bex's voice came through the earpiece.

I groaned. "The Chief sent back-up!"

"What?" Bex's voice took on her angry tone. "Does he think we can't handle this on our own?"

Jason spoke up. "I have six back-up agents near me."

It was the same with every one else. I checked my tracker again. The dots were moving slowly, steadily, forming a protective circle around me. A nagging feeling began in the pit of my stomach. "Uh, guys?" I asked suspiciously. Something was wrong here. Back-up agents don't use the Circle Defense until something goes seriously wrong. "Check your back-up's position."

"Oh my—"

"What the—"

"Guys." It was Jason. His voice was panicked. "These aren't Stonell Spies. They've got something implanted in them."

I thought for a minute, scanning the crowd carefully. Then it clicked. "Jason," I said anxiously. "Is it a shock signal?"

"Yeah," he said curiously. "Why—?"

"Oh, my—" Bex realized what I had just figured out. "Cam, do you think…?"

My stomach dropped. We were being tailed by rebel spies. It had all been a trick. "Guys," I said, moving faster than before. "Get out of sight. If you're in an enclosed area, get out. Those spies are rebel. Lose them _now_."

My heart was hammering as I made wide arcs and smooth movements, weaving around and in between the throngs of people. A man with long, shaggy black hair in a group beside me looked at me and I saw the glint of a knife beneath his jacket when it moved.

I knew this wasn't play any more.

_Showtime_.

I slipped the gun out of my shoulder holster and held it beneath my jacket inconspicuously. The man winked at me and disappeared into the crowd. I pulled a tracker installer out of my pocket and aimed it at him with one hand my other hand beneath my jacket, keeping the arm holding the tracker-installer straight at my side. The beam hit him dead-on. I checked the tracker, and sure enough, a green dot was moving steadily down the street. _Gotcha_, I thought.

"There's too many people to do a shoot-out tonight," Jason reminded us. "What are we gonna do?"

"I have a rebel in my database, guys," I told him. "Let's just get out of here."

Fifteen minutes later, after we had shaken all the rebel tails, we met at the hotel lobby.

"Guys," I said, a little shaken. "The message that was sent? I think it was a fake. Here's my theory: there was no rebel spy on the loose. They knew we had the Emmessenger and instead of self-destructing, they just wanted to see who would come running if they sent out a signal." We discussed and argued this theory for a while, then decided to call it a night.

Bex gave Raye a kiss—which sent pangs and the memories of tonight with Zach running through me—then finally pulled away and we headed to our room to get some sleep.

As soon as I closed the door, Bex pounced on me. "What happened with Zach? Did he talk? Did you talk? Did you kiss? Did he—"

"Bex," I said tiredly, but firmly. The night's events had drained me; emotionally and physically. "I'm going to bed."

I kicked off my boots and crawled under the covers, nestling into the plush blankets and darkness. "Hey," she said, her voice muffled. "You're not getting off that easy." She pulled the blankets off my head. "Give me something. Anything."

I thought for a moment. "Like what?"

She threw her hands in the air. "Anything! Everything! Tell me about the kissing—!"

"Okay!" I interrupted. "Let's see…"

She fidgeted impatiently. "Come _on_, Cam."

"Okay." I grinned. "I got it."

She smiled expectantly. "Uh huh?"

I leaned closer. "His kisses could turn a lesbian straight."

Then I hopped back under the covers and enjoyed the satisfactory sputtering coming from Bex.

: - : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : :: : : : : - :

**haha. i love that. **

**i actually prefer "One of her kisses could turn a gay man straight," but i'm not doing any of Zach's POV. sorry, Zach.**

**Remember the Three R's!!**

**Read. Review. Recycle.**

**muahahaha!**

**latah latah!!**

**-memrylaine-**


	10. Thought You'd Found A Friend

**sorry it's kinda short, but i didn't really want to go into detail on the whole spy mission cuz right now i have zero story plan, all i know is what's gonna happen with Zach and Cammie. so i miht come back to this later on (as in a LOT later on..) and change some stuff, like put in more about the mission, 'cause i know Ally Carter puts in at least half her books about the mission.**

**i forgot to tell you guys.... I read Don't Judge A Girl By Her Cover!!!**

**i'll just say for the people who HAVEN'T read it... that it was NOT what i expected. **

**anywho, enjoy the magnamorous chapter 10!!**

: - : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : - :

I didn't see Zach at all over the next week. Maybe it could have been because I was working so hard and so closely to my team on the mission that I didn't think about it…

That wasn't true. I may be a spy, and I may lie about other things, but that's one subject I can't lie on.

I thought about him _every single day_.

Or maybe it wasn't all me. Maybe it was because he was busy with…

Come to think of it, I never did know what he was doing during that period of time.

Whatever it was, it still hurt, no matter how small it would seem to some one else. It felt stupid and juvenile, even made me sick to my stomach when my thoughts always came back to him, but the more I thought about it, the more I seemed to be able to make myself believe it just wasn't meant to be.

Here we were, two separate spies on two separate missions with two separate goals, and walls of secrets built around us and…

It just wouldn't work.

Meanwhile, our team had made tremendous progress on the mission. Three groups of rebel agents had been captured and were being held for questioning and hostage purposes. A bunch of old warehouses used as rebel bases had been confiscated, stripped, and destroyed. Hundreds of different devices and a ton of gear had been intercepted and used for bait and tips. We were getting closer to the roots of the whole system and we could all feel it.

Maybe I was getting a little too cocky over the pre-closing of a mission and letting my guard down a little too much because the next morning, I woke up with someone's face just inches from mine. A scream made its way up my throat, but a hand slapped over my mouth just before it burst out.

"Keep it down," the person hissed. It was a guy, I knew that much. Their face was too close to mine to tell who it was, but my spy senses kicked in immediately and I could tell by the smell of pine, soap, and musky cologne that it was Zach.

_Wait._

_Zach?!_

I bit down on his hand, the taste of soap lingering on my tongue, and it caught him off guard. He pulled his hand off my mouth. "Jeez, Gallagher Girl," he muttered. "You—"

"Zach, what are you doing here?" I hissed and finally took in the present position we were in. I was laying on my bed, wearing a tank top and pajama shorts, facing the ceiling with Zach straddling my pelvis and his hands on my bare shoulders. Some of his wonderfully gorgeous, messed-up hair fell into his face, adding to the playful glint in his dark eyes. His lips curved upward with a hint of a smile. "Happy to see me?"

I growled unintentionally and I think it surprised both of us. I cleared my throat and glared at him. "I haven't seen you in a week, and now you show up here on my bed? On top of me, no less?" I sat up, pushing him off of me and rubbed the sleep frustratedly from my eyes. A loud snore startled me, and my body automatically whirled around and jumped out of the bed to locate and identify the source of the sound. It was only Bex, making weird eating noises from her bed. Even though it was a false alarm, my heart and head were pounding with panic.

"What if Bex wakes up?" I asked Zach frantically, turning back to him and putting my hand on his shoulder, realizing how dangerous this was. "What if the guys come in and find—oh, no the guys! I—"

"Cammie." Zach chuckled and leaned closer, his warm breath playing against my skin. "I took care of it."

I jerked back, a look of horror no doubt on my face. "You _what?!"_

He laughed. "Not like that, genius. I mean I messed around with the lock on your hotel door and just as a head's up—" He cocked his head to the side mischievously. "I don't think any one's going to be going in or out any time soon."

I sighed, full of mixed emotions; relieved, irritated, frustrated…and hopelessly and relentlessly _attracted_ to this man I'd thought I'd known before, but now realized I had known nothing at all.

But hey, what do I expect?

We're spies. We can't trust anybody. Sometimes not even ourselves.

Zach stood up and stretched, his muscles straining against the thin fabric of his cotton t-shirt. I would have drooled if I hadn't been so confused and angry.

He came around behind me and rubbed my shoulders with one hand. "Settle down, Cam," he whispered, blowing on the back of my neck softly and sending chills shooting down my spine. Yeah. Relaxing.

"Zach." My voice was tight, like I was a little unsure of myself. "This is pretty much the last thing that would calm me down."

I felt his lips on the back of my neck, smiling, and he spoke against my skin. "What about this?"

I had to bite the inside of my cheek to keep my body from going into involuntary muscle spasms of delight. "Not. Helping."

He spun me around to face him. His dark eyes flashed with pleasure. "Then," he murmured huskily, "What about this?" And kissed me. Hard. On the mouth.

So here we were, standing in the middle of my hotel room _kissing_, me in my skimpy pajamas, him in all black, Bex sleeping noisily in the bed beside us, the door safe-proofed from entering or exiting. . .

A knock sounded, and Zach and I both jumped, our hands still on each other, staring at the door, then back at the other. "Cam! Bex!" Raye called. "Come on, we're getting a head start this morning! Rise 'n' shine!"

_Crud._

* * *

**hehe. sorta cliffie.**

**i need to stop doing so much Zammie-ness. it makes it seem less valuable. when you don't do as much, it makes it seem all the more romantic and special. this doesn't seem very special. **

**what do you guys think? tell me in your REVIEW!!**

**_PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW!!!_**

**and... yeah, yeah...**

**i know it was short but i'm not feeling very inspired right now.**

**i'll get back to you guys later! **

**and i'm not promising anything, but i will TRY to make the next chapter longer.**

**sigh.**

**i'm having boy troubles right now, so that might be why i'm not feeling very Cammie/Zach-y.**

**sorry :(**

**but laters!!!**

**--memrylaine--**


	11. I'm Not A Hopeless Case

**you guys are so privileged. i was gonna split this up into two chapters, but thought they were a little wimpy on their own, so i decided to give y'all an extra big THANKS for reviewing! **

**also, i'd like to give a big thank ya thank ya to emmettsmyfave ! i love it when people review on every chapter, even when they've already been published.**

**I'm excited to write the next chapter. I have a good feeling about this... hehehe....**

-- :+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+: -- (IF YOU CAN READ THIS, YOU ARE NOW OBLIGATED TO REVIEW. YOU CAN'T BACK OUT OF IT NOW. OR ELSE, THE COOKIE MONSTER WILL GET YOU. HAHAHAHA.)

**C**_H_A**P**_T_E**R** **_1_**1

* * *

I pushed Zach away from me, hard. "You idiot!" I whispered.

He looked skeptical. "I'm the idiot? What did I do?"

I shushed him quickly by slapping my hand over his mouth. "Well _I_ wasn't the one who broke into this room, screwed the lock up beyond repair, and just—just—" I sputtered. "It's not my fault!"

Zach pushed my hand off his mouth, the corners of his lips twitching in an amused fashion. "Oh, I see. So this is all _my_ doing."

I could barely contain my frustration. "You—"

"Cam! Bex!" Raye pounded even harder on the door. "Let's _go!_" I nearly shrieked in pent-up vexation. Things were already too messy for Raye to coming walking through that door and catch Zach and I here together. So, in standard Cammie-style, I did the first thing that came to mind. Throwing last wary glance at the door, I pulled Zach into the closet and shut the door as quietly as possible, leaving just a tiny bit of space to peek through. The closet wasn't a walk-in, only big enough to hold Zach, me, and Bex and mine's clothes. My back was pressed up against Zach's chest in an extremely head-spinning way and something sharp was poking my leg. It was an all-over not so enjoyable experience.

Bex rolled over in her bed and I froze. She snorted sleepily. "Coming," she mumbled. Funny how that one word sent my heart pounding maniacally. I turned around to face Zach and gave him a desperate look. "She'll be awake any time! Do something!" Then I poked my head out of the closet and said as loudly as I could with out waking Bex, "We'll be right there, Raye!"

"Um--okay," he called, still sounding a little unsure, but pacified for the moment. "Just meet us downstairs in the lobby in ten minutes." His receding footsteps down the hall were audible. I turned at looked pointedly at my fellow closet occupant.

Zach grinned, completely calm, his face shadowed by the darkness of the enclosed area. "Alright, I'll leave." I started to speak again, but he cut me off by raising one hand. "As long as you promise to meet me on the Santiam Beach at noon today."

He wanted me to sneak out again. I groaned internally and cracked the door open slightly, peeking through at Bex, whose eyes were shut, but wouldn't be for long. The closet was getting stuffy and the sharp object felt like it was about to impale my leg. Zach started humming the song on Jeopardy. "Doo doo doo doo, doo doo doo…"

"Oh, fine," I hissed. "Just go!"

He grinned, flashing me the peace sign, opened the closet door, and, after hooking a rapelling rope to my windowsill, climbed down out of my hotel window. I breathed a sigh of relief and slumped against the wall of the closet, engulfed in the dark. Suddenly, the door swung open, and the bright light felt like a slap in the face. I shielded my eyes, but not enough to miss seeing Bex standing in a stately manner, her arms crossed and lips pursed. "So," she said, completely awake. "When's the honeymoon?"

: - : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : - :

As it turned out, Bex had been awake the whole time.

The whole. Entire. Time.

When I asked her why she couldn't have given us a little more privacy, her reply was, "Hey, we're spies. We don't know the definition of privacy."

We got ready in a record 47 and a half seconds, each yanking on some standard spy attire: tight black pants and a black top. I even strapped on some extra gear today. Part of it was because I felt like I needed to compensate for seeing Zach behind the guys' back and breaking promises and trust by being more lethally equipped. And maybe it was partly because I wanted to prove to myself that I was doing the right thing.

Plus, all the spy-ware-jewelry I'd gotten at the Armory was _sooo_ cute.

When we met in the lobby, Jason relayed the information that the Chief had sent to us. He wanted us to find the identities of the three core people in the rebel society. All we knew was that there were two men, one in their mid-thirties, one about twenty years old, and one woman who was at least forty. But this information wasn't necessarily relevant, because each of the rebels could have easily gotten a face transplant to disguise their age. The only way to identify them was a signal implant the rebel agency gave all of their agents. The rebels weren't aware yet that Stonell knew of the implant and could distinguish it from other signals. The only downside to the implant was that it took a full-body scan to identify it. We would have to be extra thorough.

Jason told us that the Chief wanted us to split up into two groups: Bex and Raye; and Jason, Dominic, and I. We would comb the city, scanning the crowds with a wide-range infrared and do our best to locate the roots of the rebel society.

Before we split up, I gave Bex a hug, while whispering into her ear, "What am I going to do about Zach?"

"No idea," she whispered back. "Good luck with that one." I rolled my eyes and pulled away. "Good luck to you too, Raleigh." We were strictly using legend names today. She winked at me, and grabbed Raye's hand, pulling him with her out the door. I turned back to Dominic, who had dressed and gelled his hair back to make himself look like a waiter at a restaurant, and Jason, who was disguised as a college computer geek, sporting a backpack and wide-rimmed glasses. I nodded at them, and we each left separately, Dominic heading towards the kitchen to use the exit there, Jason making his way to the technology center for a rappel-escape. And me? I was using the good old-fashioned, walk-out-the-front-door egress.

The cool morning air blew against me as I walked down the street, the silver peace-sign charm on my necklace scanning every one who walked by me, my diamond earrings ready to send out shock rays if pressed hard enough, my big blue ring able to extend a five foot long razor blade if I twisted it. I breathed in deeply and confidently, Zach completely out of my mind.

I was focused. I was strong. I was ready.

Let the games begin.

* * *

**ta da!**

**what'd ya think?**


	12. See The Canyons Broken By Cloud

* * *

_you guys are hilarious. :D i loved all the funny reviews that made me laugh out loud!_

_

* * *

_

**Woooow i haven't been on here in forever! **

***sheepish grin***

**Anywho, fanks for all the reviews! ;) there's some British slang for ya. *winks***

**_I dedicate this chapter to __AlyxTheDarkWanderer_ because they caught my little fudge-spot. Hehe.**

**You're right, a 5-foot blade in a ring _is_ probably pushing it. haha :D it's cool you thought of that! **

**AND, I appreciate all your reviews throughout the whole story. Thanks! :) **

**mm... *appreciative sigh* .....**

**.....This chapter is like the PINNACLE of Zammie-ness. Hope i didn't go TOO overboard, and if it's too OOC or anything, tell me and i might redo it if enough people want me to.**

**:)**

**and now, on with the chapter! FOR NARNIA!!!**

**-mL**

* * *

I walked confidently down the street, blending in with the rest of the people. I pretended to wave at some one, scanning a man beside me. The device sent a signal to my comms unit for only me to hear; a quiet, computerized female voice.

_Negative_.

A woman pushing a stroller bumped into me and muttered an apology, earning me another scan.

_Negative_.

A teenager carrying a skateboard, sporting a piercing in just about every place imaginable. A businesswoman, carrying a brief case and talking rapidly into her Bluetooth headset. A girl with pink hair carrying a ferocious-looking Chihuahua.

_Negative_.

"How's it goin', pretty lady?" I looked up in surprise to see Dominic winking at me, the waiter's outfit gone, and in its place a pair of nice jeans, black dress shoes, and a black fitted tee. He was pretending to study some fresh fruit a street vendor was selling.

I gave him a wry side-ways appraisal. "Back off, Calvin Klein." He stuck his tongue out at me and turned back to his fruit. After I had walked a few steps away, he said into comms, "That was harsh, Cam."

I smiled and turned around to look at the fruit stand, but he was already gone. "I like to play hard-to-get."

I thought I heard Jason mutter, "That's for sure," but I wasn't positive. Shaking it off, I scanned the crowds again, trying to pick out a couple people that looked to be the age that the Chief had told us the rebel leaders were. A forty-ish-looking woman in an exercising outfit was on the other side of the wide sidewalk, and I shoved my way over. When I "accidentally" shoved her, she looked up at me with a scowl on her face and said in a loud, overbearing voice, "Kids these days!"

_Negative_.

The crowds seemed to get thicker as the day went on, the sidewalks and streets filling up steadily, adding more people to the mix. I was sure I'd scanned over half the city. It was almost 11:30 am when I remembered the "date" I'd promised Zach. _Craaap_.

"Jason, Dominic," I spoke softly into comms, surveying the city warily. "Where are you guys?"

"I'm in the Starbucks by the corner of 49th," Jason said quickly. "Want to join me?"

I coughed lightly as I passed by a couple men comparing newspapers. _Negative_. "Um, I should probably keep scanning…"

"Come on, Cam," Jason said, a tad on the whiny side. "You've been scanning all day. Dominic can finish the south side of the city by himself." I walked by some women smoking.

_Negative_.

I pressed my lips together. _Argh!_ I had no excuses. And I had a date to get to…

I checked my watch. 11:47. _And_ I was going to be late. Go me. Way to be punctual, Cam.

Suddenly, I had an idea. "Um, Jason?" I said, adding just the right amount of regret into my voice. "I wish I could join you, but I think it would be helpful if I went down and scanned by the beach."

"The beach?" He sounded puzzled. "Why?"

My spy sense kicked into overtime. "Well don't you think that if you were a rebel spy leader you would want to blend in?"

"Yeah…"

"So if you wanted to blend in but you knew that the enemy knew you wanted to blend in, you wouldn't go to a place you would blend in, you'd go to a place where you _couldn't_ blend in to blend in." It actually made sense if you thought about it long enough.

"Um… Okay…"

I grinned. "Alright, cool. I'll just go check out the scene there, and if there's nothing to see, I'll bail and meet up with you—"

"Really?" He sounded so excited, I hated to bring him down…

"—and Dominic."

"Oh." The disappointment was thick in his voice. "Alright."

I looked at my watch again, then quickened my pace and started running down the city streets, sprinting too fast to scan anyone. The beach was about three miles away from the city, and by the time I reached the huge, carved wooden sign that read, "Santiam Beach," I was breathing a bit heavier than usual, but not winded in the slightest. Hey, I'm a spy. Being fit just comes with the package.

My gaze swept the beach, and I spotted Zach over by a large striped umbrella, stretching out his legs in the sand. I walked over to him nonchalantly and stood over him, facing his back, looking out at the ocean. It was gorgeous. And no, I'm not talking about Zach. The water sparkled and glimmered with the sun as it reflected off the sharp, intensely blue waves.

Although, Zach made for a pretty good view as well…

"You showed up." He sounded slightly surprised.

"You didn't think I'd come?"

He shrugged, still gazing out at the water. "I didn't know what to think."

I sat down beside him. The wind picked up and blew my hair into my face. "Yeah, I know the feeling."

He looked at me for the first time since I'd gotten here. "Really?"

I nodded, biting my lip.

"Huh."

Neither of us spoke. Seagulls were cawing all around us, children were laughing, the distinct smell of barbeque hung in the air…

But still we were silent.

I guess neither of us wanted to break what was so fragile, so delicate, so rare, that we had right now.

_Peace._

_It does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble, or hard work. _

_It means to be in the midst of those things and still being calm in your heart._

Finally, I couldn't take it anymore. I had too many questions to just be silent. I faced Zach and cupped his cheek, forcing him to look at me. His gaze burned me. I sighed heavily and rubbed his cheek with my thumb. "What happened to us, Zach?"

His eyes were amazing. They were so deep you could get lost in them. So much emotion, so much _life_—they were undecipherable. His expression softened but he didn't speak.

I didn't know how to respond so I just kept going. "You never came to see me. The guys from Blackthorne came, senior year. Grant and Jonas even came. No one would tell me anything about you. What happened? Where were you?" My voice broke and I silently cursed myself. I couldn't lose control now and break down, especially in front of Zach. "Why didn't you come?" My hand dropped from his cheek. He didn't say anything, but I saw something change in his eyes. "I missed you, I—" I stopped, biting my lip so hard it drew blood, trying desperately to keep my emotions at bay. Why was I such a mess?

Zach sighed, closing his eyes, and ran a hand through his dark, messy hair. Then he looked at me and spoke for the first time. "Cam, I'm—I'm sorry."

But I was already angry at myself for showing too much and at him for everything he'd ever done. I didn't need a reason. "I don't want your apologies," I muttered and stood up angrily.

Zach stood up, too. I could tell that he was getting mad, but I didn't care. "Cammie, you have no idea how badly I wanted to see you. You have _no idea_." Passion cloaked his voice and what he said was emphatically professed.

I realized I was trembling from the force of his words. "Then why. Why didn't you come." My voice was flat and cold. Almost disbelieving.

He shook his head, anger spelled plainly across his face. Something else too, but I couldn't read it. "I—couldn't."

I let out a frustrated shriek, then immediately regretted it. It was so... so... _unspy-like_. But I had to get this out. I felt like I would die if I didn't let him know how I felt, how bad it had hurt me, how long I'd waited, how cold I'd felt, wasted time, wasted tears, wasted wants...

I couldn't hold it in.

"I'm tired of secrets, Zach. I'm tired of hiding things from you, and you not telling me anything. But you know what I'm tired of the most?" I had managed to rein in my emotions and now a lone tear, summing up all my feelings, trailed down my cheek. I might be a spy, but I'm also a girl. A very emotional, very _hormonal_ girl. My voice had lowered to a whisper, and suddenly I just felt _weary_. "I'm tired of not being able to trust."

Zach's eyes softened. "Cammie…"

I didn't back down, never broke eye contact. "Tell me _something_, Zach. I need _something_."

He paused, then stepped closer to me and I shivered, despite the warm air. "Cammie," he whispered, his voice unnaturally husky. My heart went into palpitations. "I…" He rubbed his hands up and down my arms, inducing goosebumps. "Love…" My breath caught in my throat, realizing what he was going to say. "You." His voice was below a whisper. "And that's the truth." His gaze was focused, intense, full of fervency. "Can you trust me?" His breath was cool against my skin.

I slowly nodded my head. "Yeah," I whispered. Zach's eyes lit up adorably. Suddenly, his lips were against mine and I lost myself in his arms.

"I love you, too, Zach," I murmured.

* * *

**what'd you think...?**

**too OOC? teeeell me!**

**loves to all and a complimentary muffin to the brave reviewers! -mL **

**P&&S-- i'm looking for humorous reviews! who ever makes me laugh the hardest gets a dedication for the next chapter! :D**


	13. After The Flood All The Colors Came Out

**I'm so ticked off right now. Seriously. My flipping computer screwed up. I had this long, awesome author's note that explained everything and an awesome title and...**

**GRR!! STUPID TECHNOLOGY!!!**

**Anywho, I decided against humor for the dedication;; too generic. So I went with... specialness! tada!**

**so, the dedication is to the wonderful theoceanwaveshi ! apparently, I'm their first review! Yays! Specialness! thanks for reviewing, hun!**

**Okay, in short, I'm superbusy right now. I've got five different stories on the go, not including this one, and I'm going to try to finish this on before anything else. :) **

**BIGBIGBIG ANNOUNCEMENT THAT YOU SHOULD READ SO YOU DON'T FEEL LOST AND DEPRESSED AND UNDERAPPRECIATED BECAUSE YOU DIDN'T READ IT!! (look down)**

_THIS is where the story starts getting good. :D _

**enjoy!**

* * *

"You are. So. Dead."

Normally, those words would send a spy's heart thumping crazily, adrenaline shooting through their veins. They would immediately start planning out escape routes, possible weapon uses, and weaknesses. So normally, I would have been plotting the sayer of those words' demise.

But, in case you haven't been paying attention, I'll remind you:

These are not normal circumstances.

So I grinned and leaned closer to Zach, who I'd just splashed mercilessly. "Only if you can catch me."

His lips curled into an eager, yet demure smile and he tipped his head, sending water droplets flying. "Doesn't a catch require a chase?"

I shrieked involuntarily, mentally berated myself for acting so juvenile, then stepped back, cold water dripping from my clothes and hair. Zach advanced slowly, a smug smile spreading across his face. Everything was slow and deliberate, professionally accurate. Then I broke the spell and burst out sprinting. I could feel the pounding of Zach's feet on the packed sand behind me and the thrumming of my heartbeat in my ears. A laugh bubbled up inside of me, seamed by my erratic breathing. I felt so… _good_. Like I wanted to wrap up this moment and put it in my pocket. Keep it forever. Everything in that one, untouchable moment was absolutely perfect. And I never wanted it to end.

I was pulled out of my sappy little reverie when Zach grabbed me around the waist and swung me around so I had my arms around his neck and my legs wrapped around his torso. He carried me till we were standing behind a sand dune. Well, he was standing. I was just hanging on for dear life.

Plus, Zach smelled _sooo_ good.

I leaned back just enough to see his face in the shadow of the dune. "So what are you gonna do with me now?"

A cocky smile spread across his face. "I think I'll have to—"

_Positive._

To this day, I don't how this happened, or why it had to be right then, but somehow, when Zach had pulled me against him, the peace charm on my necklace had gotten pushed. The scanner, which I hadn't used since coming here, sent out an electro-magnetic beam, combing through Zach's entire body, sent a signal to the main computer, which passed a prompt, cueing a quiet, computerized voice to echo through me…

_Positive._

I jerked back immediately and freed myself from his arms, which had been comforting and pleasurable a moment before, and now felt like they were suffocating me. Even though I'm able to control my facial expressions to a T, I was sure shock was registered on my face clearly. Zach froze. "What's wrong?"

I backed away slowly, my hands on my temples. I couldn't look at him, couldn't bear to see what his face would hold. _No, no, nononono, this was NOT happening…. Maybe the scanner was wrong, maybe something malfunctioned when it got wet, maybe this is all a hoax…_

But deep down, I knew none of these excuses were true. All I could do was breath and try to think somewhat logically. _Okay, this could NOT be happening… There's probably a reasonable explanation for all of this…_

But overtop of all those rational thoughts, there lay worry and disbelief and incredulous feelings. How could he lie to me? How could he do this?

In black and white, it was simple: Zach was—allegedly—now my enemy.

But, as we all should know by now, nothing is black and white for spies.

Zach walked closer to me and put his hand on my arm. "Cammie, what's—"

I shrugged off his hand apprehensively. "Not now, Zach." My tone was sharper than I'd intended it to be.

He stepped back again, and I knew I'd hurt him, but I also knew he'd never admit it.

The signal. So Zach was… a rebel spy? No. That was impossible. All the—

Then I remembered that night, when Zach and I had first met, when the rebel emessenger went off, saying that a rebel had disappeared and was somewhere loose in the city…

And suddenly, it made so much sense.

I hated it.

I hated him.

I loved him.

How could he lie to me?

He had told me he loved me.

He promised…

I realized he was still standing in front of me, a distraught look on his face. "What's going on, Cammie?"

I took a deep, shaky breath. "I don't know, Zach. Why don't you tell me?"

Confusion was etched clearly across his brow. "I don't understand."

"Oh, please," I spat, as comprehension dawned on me. _He had been using me the whole time._ "I'm a child prodigy, Zach. I'm not stupid. I know what you're hiding from me. You've been hiding it ever since we met a couple weeks ago. You—"

Zach interrupted me, realizing what I was talking about. He put up his hands in the standard _wait a minute_ gesture. "Cammie, _no_, this is not what you think—"

I pressed my lips together. "I want to know what I _deserved_ to know right from the start." I took a step forward and crossed my arms firmly, then forced my voice to match my stance. "I want to know the truth."

Zach's eyes dropped and it was like he was a balloon and someone stuck a pin in him. He just sort of _deflated_. And instead of the playfulness and ecstasy I'd seen in his eyes earlier, he just looked tired. "Cammie, I tried to tell you, I just… couldn't. I couldn't drag you into this mess… I wanted to protect you." He looked down and I could have sworn his voice broke when he said, "I couldn't let them hurt you."

I felt almost nothing now. I'll admit it, Zach's heartfelt little speech had just about been my undoing, but still, the endless mantra, _he lied to me he lied to me,_ kept playing through my head, and now I felt the anger and adrenaline pumping through me. Everything felt too bright, too loud. The sound of children laughing was an assaulting cacophony to my ears. Instead of the pleasant warmth it had bestowed before, the sun's light felt harsh and revealing.

It wasn't playtime any more. I was back to the never-ending cycle of action; because when you're a spy…

You just can't seem to catch a break.

I stared Zach down, remembering something. Before I got down to the nitty-gritty, I wanted to know one thing. "I just want to know…was it real? The kiss, you telling me you loved me…" Zach's expression was unreadable. "…was it all just fake?"

I knew his answer before he said it when his eyes met mine. "No," he said earnestly. "I swear that was true."

I looked away, pained. Oh, how much I wanted to believe him… "How can I trust you now?"

Zach stepped forward and grasped both of my forearms with his hands. His eyes were desperate. "I'll explain everything, I promise. It's not what you think it is. I just need a little time." He peered down at me, trying to gauge my expression. "Can you trust me?"

I closed my eyes.

This was _Zach_.

I loved him; I knew that now.

And deep down, I knew there was still trustworthiness in him.

So I sighed and looked him straight in the eye. "When and where?"

Relief flooded his features. "Tomorrow night, 11:46 pm, at the park where we met before."

I nodded slowly. "Alright. I'll be there."

A small smile lifted his lips. "Good."

I gave him one last look, then left.

____________________________________________

I was walking down the streets, squeezing the charm on my necklace and hearing at intervals a quiet "_negative_" in my ear. Eventually, I just stopped scanning. It made me think too much.

Then I remembered my crew. I had been gone for almost an hour. Why hadn't Jason or Dominic tried to contact me? My comms was on, they—

Oh. Kuh. Rap.

My comms was on.

My comms had _been_ on the _entire flipping time_.

I stopped for a moment, clenching and unclenching my fists. How was I going to explain this to them?

Oh, man. I was _sooo_ busted.

Finally, I gave a heaving sigh, cringed and said warily, "Jason? Dominic? You guys there?" No answer. I tried again and got the same result. Puzzled, I pretended to scratch my ear while pulling the communication device out.

To my utter surprise, there was no tiny green light to signify being "_on"_. No wonder I hadn't heard them the whole time at the beach…

I held it in my hand, trying to figure out what had happened. I knew that I myself hadn't turned it off. Then who…

_Zach_.

Zach had turned off my comms.

I turned the device on and tucked it back in my ear. "Hey, any one there?"

"Cammie!" It was Jason. He sounded hugely relieved.

"Cam, where are you?" That was Dominic.

"Umm… At the beach." I could help but wince at how sheepish I sounded.

"Well get your butt into Starbucks this minute." Jason again. And the relief sounded like it had worn off, and now it was replaced with annoyance…and… was that envy I heard?

I sighed. "Aye, aye, captain."

_Oh, joy._

_

* * *

_

**reviews, anyone?**


	14. See The World In Green And Blue

**I am like THE worst author EVER. No lie. Feel free to threaten and/or throw heavy e-objects at me. **

**But I would like to take this moment to THANK THE REVIEWERS! I got like 30 or 40 reviews on the last chapperooni. And, they're what helped me write this chappie, sucky or not. Thanks, guys. You're amazazing! ;)**

**Alrighty, hopefully this chapter isn't too heavy in the suckage department. That would not be good. Review (wink wink) and tell me whatcha think. :D**

**I dedicate this chapter to my wonderfully awesome (and I guess now she's kind of my beta cuz she pretty much helps me with all of this) bestie forever: MEGAN!!!**

**I love ya, darlin'!**

**in other news... I got a new story for all y'all Max Ride lovers :) a collection of oneshots that I'm gonna update right after this one. Called: Fax Shuffleshots. Check it out, wouldja? :P**

**_But if you're thinkin' bout my baby, it don't matter if you're black or white!_**

**Keep it real, babes. **

**-C-H-A-P-T-E-R-1-4-**

* * *

I stared at the glass door, covered in various posters advertising over-priced, caffeine-jolted drinks and tried to not concentrate so much on the sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. _Jason and Dominic will understand, won't they? They'll know how I'd felt…?_

The door swung open and almost smacked me in the face. In front of me stood a very ticked off, very annoyed-looking Jason with his arms crossed over his broad chest.

_Or maybe not_.

"Come in," Jason instructed tersely and despite my recurring anxiety and irritation over the fact that _he_ was giving _me_ orders, I did as I was told.

Dominic was seated in a corner booth, waiting for us. So as not to arouse suspicion, he had ordered three steaming lattes that were waiting on the table. And despite the confusion and displeasure on his face, I was pretty sure I caught a flash of amusement. And maybe even a teeny bit of gloating.

Jerk.

I sat down across from him and Jason slid in beside him so they were both facing me. I stared down at the drink in front of me. I knew that the mainly male part of our unit had heard me, but I wasn't sure about the other half. "Do Bex and Raye know?"

"No," Dominic said quietly.

I nodded, still staring at the mermaid logo on the paper cup.

Jason sighed, tapping the plastic-coated booth table with his fingers rapidly and erratically. "Cammie, we need to know who this guy is, how long you've been seeing him, what information was exchanged, how—"

"Jason," Dominic cut in, watching me intently. "Give her a minute." Jason looked up from where he was ticking points off on his fingers and stared at me. I didn't meet their gaze but I felt both pairs of eyes on me. I hated being watched. Being seen. It was one of the worst things that could happen to me as a spy. To be noticed. And that's what had happened. I was on the radar now. I couldn't just blow this off and wait for them to warm up to me again. I had to own up to this, and now.

"Okay," I said softly, "I'll tell you what happened."

Jason and Dominic spent the better part of an hour grilling me on Zach and what had gone down between us. And I began seriously regretting my decision on coming clean.

At first I told them how I had found Zach at the rebel base that night, then that evening at the ball how I had found him sneaking around the garage and knocked him out. Then when it came to the bedroom scene (which, when I think of it like that, sounds a whole lot worse than it really was), I tried to downplay the part where talked, and left out the entire kissing part.

I'm pretty sure the guys put two and two together. They weren't stupid.

After that, when it got pretty serious, (and the part where I snuck out of the hotel without telling them) I kind of tried to write the whole thing off as him being an old friend and not wanting to involve him in the mission or anything.

It didn't work so well.

Jason and Dominic had heard the first part of the conversation, but I didn't know how much. They probably heard the whole…_I love you_ part, and the emotional wreck that was me and…

Finally, it was over. "Is that all you guys need to know?"

Dominic nodded, running a tanned hand through his thick, dark hair. "For now at least." He gave me a small, yet still humorous smile. "Your life is quite entertaining, Cam."

Which, I think needless to say, earned him a rather hard smack on the arm.

"Wait a minute," Jason said abruptly, holding up his hand. Dominic and I froze. Jason listened into his comms for a moment, then grinned for the first time since I'd met up with him. "Alright," he said into comms, then turned to us and stood up. "Bex and Raye found one of the core."

My heart gave a little jump. "Uh…which one?"

Jason pressed his lips together. "The twenty-year old male."

My heart was pounding furiously and I was praying as hard as I could when we met up with Bex and Raye at a Stonell warehouse just east of the city. By now it was just turning dusk, and the sky was swept with streaks of color, like a chalk drawing on the sidewalk after the rain.

We—as in Dominic, Jason, and I—had taken a taxi to the nearest restaurant, then walked the rest of the way on foot to the warehouse.

Bex and Raye were already there, waiting outside for us. As we neared them, I could see Bex beaming at us, her flawless face literally shining. Relief flooded me in a giant rush. It wasn't Zach. Bex would have known if it were Zach. She would have recognized him.

As I studied the other counterpart of her mini-team, I narrowed my eyes in confusion. The same feeling I'd gotten in the pit of my stomach the night when we found the Emmessenger in the limo was back. Raye looked proud too, but something about the way he held himself, his mannerisms…

It all seemed a little off, somehow.

I shook off my paranoid thoughts and raced up to the two, Dominic and Jason hot on my heels. "Can we see him?"

Bex's happy glow diminished somewhat. "No. The Chief wants to question the man himself."

I raised my eyebrows. This guy must either be very social or very wanted. And I didn't think talkative was included in the job description for "rebel spy" or "ruthless criminal."

Dominic groaned and snapped his fingers in a _dang it_ gesture. "Sorry, Dom," Raye said, slapping him on the back. "But we did find something else that just may cheer you up." He grinned again. "You guys up for examining some rebel gear?"

So they we were, well after midnight, crammed into a tiny room, tons of gear—much more high-end and techie than the other spy we'd found at the masquerade ball—crowding the cement floor around us. My thigh ended up somehow pressed against Jason's, it didn't seem to go unnoticed by him either. Every time he would try to catch my eye, I would lean down so my hair covered my face and pretend to extremely fascinated with the fuel-air bomb detonator in my hands. Not that I really wasn't. But it did provide a reasonable excuse for my attention to be directed at. It was perfect. Foolproof…

…Until he asked me to go check out the Exo cell with him.

Down the hall.

Okay, so I don't know about you, but when a guy has his upper leg pressed against you for the better part of three hours, keeps giving you these creepy—for me, anyway—looks, then asks you to join him in a private, air-locked cell, it pretty much means he's going to make a move.

And now I had no excuse.

"Umm…sure," I said weakly and pulled myself up, ignoring his outstretched hand. Bex shot me an apologetic look with just a hint of _I told you so. _

I glared at her and moved out into the hallway. Jason pulled out a magnetized key card and ran it through the scanner, then grabbed my hand and pulled me inside the cell with him.

After that, everything moved too fast.

Jason looked at me for a moment, and before he even did anything, I knew what was coming next. I just didn't have any time to prepare for him pressing his lips against mine. I. Couldn't. Breathe. His lips were dry and almost chapped, and he smelled like some expensive cologne, instead of the musky, outdoorsy, natural signature scent that Zach possessed.

What could I say?

It was _Jason._

Eww.

I immediately tried to push him away, but he just moved closer and pressed harder and put his hands on my neck. I used all my strength and shoved him off of me, both of us breathing harder than usual. I glared at him with all my might, crossing my arms in an attempt to discourage him from making another move. "What the heck was that?!"

He didn't look at me, but I could clearly see the disappointment on his face. "Sorry," he muttered, then finally turned his gaze and his eyes met mine. "I just…I want to know. Is that Zach guy you're seeing…Is he…romantically interested in you?"

A small smile curved my lips. "Yeah, I think he is." Jason nodded dejectedly. And despite the fact that he had just kissed me against my—very strong, might I add—will, I felt bad for the guy.

He shrugged. "It's too bad you aren't going to see him again."

My head snapped up. "What?"

"Well," he stuffed his hands into his pockets, "obviously, you're not going to get a chance to talk and work things out, are you?"

I pressed my lips together. Here it was. My chance to—sort of—make things right. I would have to either lie, or come clean about my meeting with Zach tonight (seeing as it was technically morning now). And as I looked at Jason's miserable expression, I made my decision. "Actually…I was going to straighten some things out…tonight."

He looked up and his eyes narrowed. _Going out on a limb here, but my guess is that was probably not one of my more wise decisions… _"Uh, no you're not."

I raised my eyebrows, willing him to challenge me. "Yes, actually, I am."

He shook his head and moved closer. "No, you're not. Tomorrow we're going to bust the rebel meeting at that old factory."

Huh? "What? No one said anything about that!"

He smirked. _Okay. Now I definitely do NOT feel sorry for you. _"Maybe you would have if your comms had been on."

Alright. Not cool. I put my hands on my hips and glared defiantly at him. "Jason, I'm the leader here. You—"

"Not any more," he said coolly. "Do you really think that leaders would keep secret late-night rendezvous' from their teammates? Would they keep turning their comms units off when they know that communication is a must?" He smirked again and it took all my self-restraint to keep from slapping him silly.

I pressed my lips together in a hard line. "No way are you saying what I think you're saying. Nuh-uh. Just because you're second in command does _not_ mean that you have the right to do this."

For a minute, he looked a little remorseful. Then it vanished, and in its place came pride. "Yep. Protocol requires it. I'm the new leader." He turned to leave, and threw one last triumphant glance over his shoulder. "And until the mission is underway, I forbid you from leaving the premises."

* * *

**AND THERE WE HAVE IT! Jason has (finally) made his move! **

**humph. now I don't like him very much. JERK!!!!**

**Maybe I'll have to work a teeny bit of revenge into the plot... Hehehe... see what I love about writing? Lol! **

**Any ideas for Jason's demise? I'll even dedicate the next chapter to you!**

**aaaanyway, this was sort of a filler chapter... sorry to keep you waiting and throw this in your face. But it needed to be done! I swear! And you so know it did, too.**

**:D**

**The next chapter deals with more of the mission, and her sneaking out to see Zach. :D I love defying Jason's orders. Muahahaha!**

**that's all I got for ya for now! Peace till later! **

**and I'll try to update sooner next time. :D**

**Much McLovin'!**

**-memryL.**


End file.
